


The Flowering Fruit

by Baykit



Category: LEGO Monkie Kid
Genre: Gay Male Character, Gay Panic, M/M, Pirates, Secret Identity
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:27:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 24,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27464185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Baykit/pseuds/Baykit
Summary: When the son of the navy commander Red Son first meets the famous pirate, The Monkey King, he wasn't expecting him to be so...flirty? But what about his affections for the cabin boy, MK? Things only get more confusing from here for Red Son.Original AU concept belongs to ninja-knox-ur-sox-off on Tumblr
Relationships: MK/Red Son
Comments: 175
Kudos: 162





	1. And so it begins...

The ship pitched and lurched as the towering waves crashed against its hull. A lightning strike illuminated the deck, showing the frantic efforts of the crew to secure the ship against the storm. A lone figure, the captain of the ship, held the ships wheel in a death grip as he listened to the shouts of his crew as another wave washed over the deck, slamming them against the railing.

“Captain!” his first mate yelled, “We’ve finished securing the sails!”

“Then get as many as you can below deck!” the captain yelled, “And be ready to bail water! We can’t afford to lose this cargo!”

“Aye sir!” the first mate yelled.

“Captain!” another crewmate yelled, “Ship off the port bow!”

The captain looked to see a ship looming in the distance, riding the swells as easily as bird flies through the air. It was a three masted sloop and, as the ship approached, the captain could see that the figure head was a robed monk holding a lotus flower in his hands. The captain felt his pulse racing as the ship turned alongside them. Standing on the forward bow was a man in a long jacket with a large tricorn hat on his head and a cloth mask covering his lower face. The mans eyes seemed hungry as the he locked gazes with the captain. Another lightning strike illuminated the sky and for a moment the captain could read the name of the ship that was painted in beautiful looping script on the side of the hull. The Flowering Fruit.

“PIRATES!” the captain yelled as the first grappling hooks dug into the railings. 

Red Son took a deep breathe and took a moment to straighten his jacket and smooth his long red hair in the mirror. It wasn’t often his father called on him and he couldn’t imagine why he was doing so now. As far as he knew his work had been nothing if not exemplary in the past month. But his father took great pride in leading his majesties navy and that left little room for error in his eyes. He couldn’t deny the possibility that his efforts hadn’t been enough.

Deeming himself presentable Red Son finished his walk down the hallway and knocked on the massive double doors. Hearing his father’s acknowledgement, Red Son entered the room. Each wall of his father’s office was covered in nautical maps and charts. His father’s hulking form sat behind an equally large desk, his curved horns twisting out to either side of his head.

“Red Son, prompt as usual,” the Demon Bull King said.

“Of course, father. I know your time is valuable,” Red Son said.

Demon Bull King gave a grunt, but whether or not it was a grunt of approval Red Son wasn’t sure.

“Do you know why I’ve called you here?” Demon Bull King asked.

“No father, I don’t,” Red Son said feeling a twisting sensation in his gut.

“Good,” Demon Bull King huffed, “That means those idiots at the dock are actually keeping their mouths shut.”

Red Son let out a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding.

“We have a reliable report that the pirate known as the Monkey King has entered our waters,” Demon Bull King continued.

“The captain of The Flowering Fruit?” Red Son asked.

“The same. And not only that, he attacked and looted a ship carrying a valuable treasure. A gift from one of the western nations to his majesty,” Demon Bull King said.

“What kind of treasure?” Red Son asked.

“A magic key said to be able to open any lock,” Demon Bull King said, “His majesty has asked me to put my best crew to the task of recovering this treasure.”

“You mean…?” Red Son asked.

“I know you won’t dare let me down,” Demon Bull King said.

“Of course not, father,” Red Son said.

“Good. Here are the details of the attack,” Demon Bull King said as he handed a small stack of papers to Red Son, “His majesty has asked that this be done as subtly as possible so it will be down to you and your crew. I expect you to be gone by tomorrow morning.”

“I understand, father,” Red Son said.

With a stiff salute Red Son turned and left the office all the while feeling his fathers burning gaze upon his back until the doors swung shut behind him.

“Stop thief!” the shop keeper yelled.

MK’s breathes came in ragged gasps as he dashed down yet another alleyway. He’d been living on the streets of this port town for years now but he’d never met a shopkeeper as stubborn as this one. He hadn’t even taken anything as the shopkeeper had caught him in the act before he’d even touched anything.

MK’s hear rate rose even high as he heard the sound of more footfalls joining the chase. It must be a slow day in town if that many of the local guard were joining in. Which also meant his punishment would be that more severe. They might even want to make a public example of him. No, MK thought as he quickly shook his head. This wasn’t over yet. He could still lose them.

MK screeched to a halt as he reached an area as familiar to him as the back of his hand. The docks. There had to be somewhere here he could hide. Scanning the area, MK spotted a stack of crates at the edge of the docks. One crate was still open. Hearing his pursuers approaching, MK sprinted to the open crate and jumped inside. With a great heave, he pulled the lid on top of the crate and then hunkered down to wait. To his surprise the first voices he heard were not the shopkeepers or the local guard.

“Come on Sandy, we need to get these crates loaded and get a move on,” a gruff voice said.

“I don’t see why we can’t stay another day,” a deep, rather soothing voice replied.

“You know how the captain gets when he’s got a goal in mind. Can’t bear to wait any longer then he has to,” the gruff voice said.

“Hold it right there!” a third voice yelled.

MK had to hold his hands over his mouth to stop himself from squeaking in fear as he recognized the voice of the captain of the guards.

“You there!” the captain said, “You seen a boy run by here? Spiky brown hair? Red bandana?”

“No, can’t say we’ve seen much of anyone all day,” the gruff voice said.

“Why?” Sandy asked, “What did he do?”

“He’s a no good, rotten thief!” the shopkeeper yelled.

“Ah,” the gruff voice said, his tone dismissive, “Well, we haven’t seen him. Good luck searching though.”

MK listened as he heard the footsteps of the guards move away, the shopkeeper still grumbling about thieves and street urchins. He gave a small sigh of relief. Now all he had to do was wait for these two to leave and he was home free. But MK gave yelp of surprise was his crate was hefted into the air.

“You hear something Sandy?” the gruff voice asked.

“Nope, not me,” Sandy replied.

“…Yeah, me neither. Come on,” the gruff voice said.

MK tried to calm his breathing as his crate was carried onto a ship. Maybe they would let him go if he let them know he was in here? Or they might just turn him over to the guards. With a dull thud his crate was set down. Good, maybe once they left, he could sneak off the ship without anyone noticing. But MK’s hopes were dashed as he heard another thud come from above him.

“Was that the last of them?” the gruff voice asked.

“Yep,” Sandy replied.

“Good, let’s go tell the captain that we’re ready to shove off,” the gruff voice said.

As their voices faded MK gave an experimental shove against the lid of the crate. It didn’t budge. It was as he feared. Another crate had been placed on top of his. He was really, truly, trapped.


	2. A Stowaway Found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MK's is rescued from the crate but finds his situation doesn't seem to have improved

MK sat, hugging his knees to his chest, feeling miserable. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been stuck in the crate but it felt like forever. He hadn’t realized when he’d first jumped in but he now realized that the crate was half full of potatoes. This made him feel a little better. Since there was food in the crate that meant that it couldn’t be too long before someone opened it. But part of him still worried that he would die of starvation before the cook decided he wanted to use potatoes.

MK perked up as he heard footsteps approaching. MK’s mind raced. Should he yell? Let them know he was here? He could feel the rocking of the waves, he knew they’d left the port some time ago. Surely, they wouldn’t turn around just to turn him in to the guards. As MK scrambled to make up his mind his train of crashed as he heard the scraping sound of the crate on top of his crate being removed. And his mind continued to draw a blank as, with a creak, his crate was opened.

“You okay in there little guy?” Sandy asked.

“Wha…huh?” MK stammered.

MK didn’t even have time to collect his thoughts as a massive blue hand reached into the crate, grabbed the back of his jacket, and lifted him into the air. MK found himself hanging in the air, staring in the face of a hulking blue skinned giant with a bushy orange beard and a tall orange mohawk. Perched on the giant’s shoulder was cat with blue fur and a matching orange mohawk.

“Oh good,” Sandy said, “I was worried you might not be doing so well in there. You’re all in one piece, right?”

“Um…yes?” MK said.

“Whew, that’s a relief. I wanted to let you out sooner but I was worried it was too soon,” Sandy said.

“Wha…wait you knew I was in there?” MK asked.

“Oh yeah, I knew that crate was too heavy to be just potatoes. I’ve lifted lots of potatoes, I know what they’re supposed to weigh,” Sandy said rather proudly.

“O-kay,” MK said.

“But don’t tell anyone okay? They’ll be more impressed if you snuck on board,” Sandy said.

“I’m not sure I follow,” MK said.

“Don’t worry about it,” Sandy said, “Now come on, let’s go met everyone.”

With one quick movement, Sandy tucked MK underneath his arm and whisked him out of the cargo hold. The orlop deck was strangely deserted but MK didn’t mind. His heart was pounding. What kind of crew would be impressed with a stowaway? Then Sandy approached a ladder with a trap door at the top. A tantalizing odor was drifting down from above. Sandy rapped on the trapdoor with his knuckles.

“Hey Pigsy! You up there?” Sandy yelled.

“Where else would I be?” Pigsy yelled back.

MK startled slightly as he recognized the gruff voice from the docks.

“Pigsy I found something in the cargo hold! I think you’re really going to like it!” Sandy said.

“Sandy, I don’t care how many tails the rat you Mo caught has, I don’t want to see it,” Pigsy said, “Just throw it overboard or let Mo eat it already!”

“It’s not a rat, I promise,” Sandy said with a slightly dejected tone.

“Fine,” Pigsy sighed, “bring it up.”

With two steps Sandy climbed up the ladder and popped open the trap door. Climbing out of the trap door, Sandy carried MK into a slightly cramped galley with several bubbling pots of something on the oven. Standing in the middle of the galley was a short, stocky, pink pig with short stubble on his chin. He wore a white chef’s coat and a large white chef’s hat. Pigsy was silent for a moment as he spotted MK underneath Sandy’s arm. His expression shifted from shock, to disbelief, to uncontained rage before he finally spoke.

“SANDY?!!!” Pigsy yelled, “Wha…you…you just…you just found a kid in the CARGO HOLD??”

“Sure did,” Sandy said with a large smile, “He was in one of our supply crates.”

“Hi,” MK said with a sheepish smile.

“Sandy! That makes him a stowaway!” Pigsy yelled.

“I know! Isn’t that cool?” Sandy said.

Pigsy seemed to be at a loss for words for a moment as he bent over and then pinched the bridge of his nose. Then, as if suddenly realizing something, Pigsy straightened and stared intently at MK.

“Wait a second,” Pigsy said, “You’re the kid those guards were looking for, aren’t you?”

“Uhhh…maybe?” MK said.

Pigsy let out a defeated sigh and glared at Sandy accusingly.

“Have you told the captain yet?” Pigsy asked.

“Uhh…no?” Sandy said.

“Well, no point in drawing this out I guess,” Pigsy grumbled, “Come on then.”

Pigsy turned and headed out the galley door. Sandy followed him out onto the door, up a set of stairs, and out onto the main deck.

“Hey captain!” Pigsy yelled sarcastically, “Sandy found something in the cargo hold that he wants to show you!”

“It’s not another rat, is it?” another voice yelled back.

“It’s not a rat!” Sandy protested.

MK blinked as his eyes adjusted to the sunlight. When the spots cleared, he found three people were standing before him, staring at him in silence. There was a young woman, about his age he guessed, with short back hair that was tied up in two high ponytails with green streaks running through it. Then there was a young man with slicked back black hair and a pair of round spectacles perched on his nose. But above them, perching on the railing of the quarter deck, was a tall monkey with light brown fur. He wore a long red coat with golden trim and a large, black, tricorn hat with two long, white feathers spilling out of it. His golden eyes seemed to bore into MK.

With a massive leap, the monkey leapt off the railing and down onto the main deck. He sauntered up to Sandy and MK, a sly grin on his face.

“A stowaway huh? That’s certainly more interesting then a rat,” the monkeys said, “Where’d you find him?”

“In one of the supply crates,” Sandy said.

“Hiding in one of the crates huh? That’s a classic,” the monkey chuckled, “The name’s Sun Wukong. What’s yours’ kid?”

“Uhhh…MK?” MK said.

“Just MK?” Sun asked.

“Yeah. Just MK,” MK replied.

“So…MK what are you doing on my ship?” Sun asked.

“Oh…so…I was being chased…by the guards…and I needed to hide. And your supply crate was just sitting open, so I climbed in and closed the lid…but then you loaded the crate…and I got stuck…and now I’m here…” MK trailed off.

Sun was quiet for a moment before he broke out in fits of laughter. He doubled over as he laughed so hard tears began to run down his face.

“Are you telling me,” Sun said in between his laughter, “that you…accidently…stowed away on my ship?! MY SHIP?!”

“I guess…?” MK said, “Wait, what’s so special about this ship?”

Sun was silent for a moment before doubling in laughter so hard he fell down on the ships deck. Hearing Pigsy clear his throat MK looked over to him and saw Pigsy gesture up to the mast. Looking upwards, MK saw a flag waving there. A black flag. A black flag with a white peach with a pair of crossed swords underneath it emblazoned on the flag.

“The Flowering Fruit?!” MK squeaked, “But…then you’re…”

“The one and only Monkey King!” Sun announced as his laughter ended, “So that begs the question, what should I do with you?”

“I…ummm…” MK stammered.

“Don’t worry kid. I’m not going to toss you overboard or anything,” Sun said with a dismissive wave of his hand, “In fact, I’m willing to cut you a deal.”

“A deal?” MK asked.

“Yeah, sure,” Sun said, “It’s simple. Turns out, we’re in need of a cabin boy. So, you work as our cabin boy until we reach the next port and we’ll let you off there. I take it you don’t want to go back where you came from?”

“No, no I definitely don’t want to go back there,” MK said with a wince, “So, um, yeah? I’ll work for you.”

“Good,” Sun said as he abruptly turned around, “I’ll leave you in Pigsy’s hands then.”

“Isn’t that great kid?” Sandy asked as Sun sauntered back towards the quarter deck, “You get to sail with us!”

“Yeah…that’s great. Although, I wasn’t hearing any other options,” MK said.

“There weren’t” Pigsy grumbled, “Come on kid. You can help me finish dinner.”

Pigsy turned and stomped back towards the galley and MK sat in silence for a moment.

“Uh, Sandy?” MK asked.

“Yeah?” Sandy said.

“You, you can put me down now,” MK said.


	3. A Battle Onboard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sun spots a navy ship in the distance

MK sighed as he leaned against the handle of scrub mop. As soon as dinner had finished Pigsy had tossed him out of the galley, threw him the mop and bucket and told him he didn’t want to see him again until the deck was spotless. He’d been scrubbing the better part of an hour and he wasn’t sure he was making much of difference. To be honest, the deck hadn’t looked that dirty to him in the first place, so he wasn’t that sure what “spotless” was supposed to look like.

“HI!” someone yelled from behind him.

“GAH!” MK yelled as he dropped the scrub mop.

MK spun around to see the female pirate standing behind him. Up close he could see she was a black tang top, loose white pants, and a light green sash around her waist. And, now that he was really looking at her, he was pretty sure she was about the same age as he was.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to sneak up on you,” she said.

“No, it’s okay. I wasn’t paying attention,” MK said with a nervous laugh.

“So, I didn’t get the chance to introduce myself earlier. My name is Mei,” Mei said extending her hand.

“MK,” MK said as he took her hand, “But I guess you already knew that.”

“Yeah…so it looks like Pigsy stuck you with swabbing the deck,” Mei said.

“Yeah, he did. Hey, can you tell me if I’m doing this right? Honestly, the deck doesn’t look that different from when I started,” MK said.

“Mmm I think you’re doing it right. It looks about the same as when I do it,” Mei said.

“You do this too?” MK said.

“Yeah, normally we all take turns swabbing the deck,” Mei said.

“Wait, even Sun does this?” MK asked.

“Yeah, of course. It’s his ship, of course he’s gonna help take care of it,” Mei laughed, “Although, you’re probably going to get stuck with this chore a lot since you’re, ya know, bottom of the pile right now.”

“That’s fair,” MK said with a sigh.

“Never understood why we have to swab the deck so often though,” Mei said.

“It’s to prevent the growth of mold and such on the wood,” another voice said, “It also helps prevent the wood from splintering by removing the salt and other corrosive substances.”

MK turned to see the spectacled man sitting on the steps that led up to the quarterdeck. He wore a long- sleeved robe that had one red sleeve and one white sleeve. He also wore a maroon scarf around his neck.

“Hi Tang!” Mei said, “MK, this is Tang, our resident navigator and book worm!”

“I prefer the term academic,” Tang replied.

“Wow,” MK said, “You sure know a lot.”

“Naturally,” Tang said as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

“Hey, can I ask you guys a question?” MK asked.

“Sure,” said Mei.

“I don’t see why not,” Tang said.

“Do you guys…like being pirates?” MK asked.

“I LOVE IT!” Mei yelled, “Exploring new lands! Stealing from stuffy nobles! And if anyone annoys you, you can cut off their heads!”

“Oh. Okay,” MK squeaked.

“First of all,” Tang said as he walked up to MK, “Mei, you can’t just go around cutting off peoples heads because they annoyed you. That’s not how this works.”

“Awww but,” Mei protested.

“No buts,” Tang said firmly, “Secondly, I think you’ll find most people in our line of work joined because they either wanted out of their current situation or they didn’t have anywhere else to go. If that’s the case, it’s not a bad solution. Your crew is your family, and family doesn’t leave family behind.”

“Why do you ask?” Mei asked, “Wait, are thinking of joining us?!”

“Oh, uh, I’m not sure,” MK stammered, “There’s a lot that’s kinda… up in the air with me right now.”

“Hmm,” Tang said, “Well when you figure things out be sure to talk to the captain. Come on my, let’s not distract him any longer.”

MK watched them for a moment longer before returning to scrubbing the deck. From up in the crows’ nest Sun Wukong watched as the group separated. He was actually rather pleased that MK had joined them, at least for the time being. His current crew had been the same for too long and relationships had been getting a bit tense. Having some new blood on board was definitely helping things. Extending his telescope, Sun went back to scanning the surrounding area. As his eyes passed over the blue waves Sun spotted something that made his blood run cold. He quickly stowed his telescope and shimmed down the main mast.

“Everyone!” Sun announced, “I’ve spotted a navy ship!”

“The navy?!” MK squeaked.

“Where?” Tang asked.

“Over there,” Sun said as he pointed and handed Tang his telescope, “Near that rock formation by the coast. I think it’s just one of their scouting ships, but I want to tell me what you think.”

“Hmm,” Tang mumbled as he spotted the ship, “I think you’re right. It certainly looks like one of the scouting ships. It’s weird that it’s so out in the open though when there’s so many formations it could be using for cover.”

“So, it looks like a trap?” Pigsy said as he and Sandy joined the group.

“Could be,” Tang said.

“It doesn’t matter,” Sun said as the rest of the crew turned to him, “If that scouter hasn’t spotted us already it will soon. We can’t afford letting it get back to the navy and letting them know our location. If they get on our tails now, we’ll never reach our goal in time. Now, get to your battle stations! We’re taking out that ship!”

“Kid,” Pigsy said as he turned to MK, “Get in the galley and barricade yourself in. I don’t want you getting underfoot, understand?”

“Oh, right, yes sir,” MK said as he gathered his scrub brush and headed to the galley.

Sun Wukong kept his yes focused on the ship as they approached. The ship had noticed them and had immediately turned to try and enter the rock formations, presumably as cover. However, The Flowering Fruit had a good tailwind behind it and was quickly gaining. Soon, they were within range.

“Sandy!” Sun yelled, “Fire!”

“Firing!” Sandy yelled as he lit the fuse of the cannon.

The cannonball rocketed from the ship and just barely missed the ship, landing in the water just off the starboard quarter.

“Reload and be ready to fire again!” Sun yelled.

“Aye, aye captain!” Sandy called back.

“Sir!” Tang yelled, “Wreck off the port bow!”

Sun turned and saw, to his surprise, the wreck of a massive ship that had obviously crashed against the rocks. Sun felt his stomach sink as he recognized the flag hanging from the mast that identified the ship as a member of the navy fleet.

Sun whirled as he heard the cling of the first grappling hook hit the ship. He looked up to the rock formation it had come from and saw several short, stocky figures there, each with a pair of bulls horns protruding from their head. Tang had been right. It was a trap.

“We’re being boarded!” Sun yelled, “Brace yourselves!”

MK huddled in the galley listening to the sounds of fighting outside. He’d never heard the sound of cannon fire before, but he hadn’t expected it to shake the entire ship. Then he’d heard Sun’s muffled shout and then the sounds of fighting out on the deck. How had they been boarded? Tang had said it was just a scouting ship, right? Surely, they could handle it on their own. Besides, Pigsy had said he would just get in the way.

Then something slammed against the galley door. MK stood and gripped the scrub mop, his hands shaking. On the second hit, the door cracked and splintered. On the third hit it broke clean in two and both pieces crashed to the ground. Stepping inside was a figure in a black cape with a bulls head and glowing red eyes. It seemed slightly damaged though, with random sparks shooting out of a gash in it’s neck. The bull clone quickly focused on MK and lowered its head, preparing to charge. Screaming in panic, MK rushed out of the way and the bull rammed into the wall of the galley. Freeing itself from the wall, the bull clone turned and prepared to charge again but MK rushed out of the galley and up onto the main deck.

MK skidded to a halt as he took in the scene on deck. Every member of the crew was engaged with the bull clones. Mei was trading blows using a wicked looking curved blade. Pigsy was fighting with his own pair of blades and Sandy was using a crescent staff. MK didn’t spot Tang until he heard a gunshot from the quarter deck and saw him taking shots at the bull clones with a long musket. Sun holding off a pair on his own as he spotted MK.

“Kid!” Sun yelled as he dodged a swipe from one of the clones.

MK heard Sun’s cry and turned around to see his bull clone exiting the galley. It lowered its head once more to charge and MK looked around frantically. Everyone was already occupied they didn’t have time to help him. Then he spotted the main mast behind him. He’d only tried this on walls before, but it looked like his best shot. As the bull clone charged MK ran straight for the mast. As he got close enough he leapt into the air, planted one foot against the mast, and launched himself into the air. Just as he backflipped over the bull clone, he brought his scrub mop down against its damaged neck and separated its head from its body. The scrub mop snapped in two and the bull head went skittering across the deck, only coming to a halt when it crashed into the railing. MK landed on the deck breathing heavily and slowly realized it was oddly quiet around him. He looked up to see that everyone else had finished their battles as well and were now staring at him, their mouths open. Mei was the first to break the silence.

“WHOOO!” Mei screamed, “MK THAT WAS AWESOME!”

“It was?!” MK yelled back, “But I almost died!”

“But you didn’t!” Mei said.

“Why didn’t you tell us you had moves like that?” Sandy said as he gathered MK up into a hug.

As the rest of the crew gathered around MK, Pigsy walked up to Sun who was perching on the railing of the quarter deck and staring intently at MK.

“Oh no,” Pigsy said, “I know that look.”

“What look?” Sun asked.

“That’s your ‘I’ve got a crazy idea’ look,” Pigsy said with a huff.

“Oh really? I didn’t realize I had such a look,” Sun teased.

“I think we’ve been travelling together long enough for me to know your looks,” Pigsy grumbled.

Pigsy and Sun watched the celebration below as Tang joined in.

“It involves the kid, doesn’t it?” Pigsy said, “You don’t want to leave him at the next port, do you?”

“We’ll see,” Sun said, a smile spreading across his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone wondering, yes, I did research the multiple reasons scrubbing the deck of a wooden ship was important.


	4. A Night on Deck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sun and MK have a chat

Sun exited his quarters and scanned the deck, giving a roguish smile when he spotted what he was looking for. There was MK, leaning partially over the railing looking down at the waters that had turned black as night fell. The kid startled and almost tipped overboard as Sun snuck up behind him and gave him a firm slap on the back, but Sun quickly reached out and grabbed the back of his shirt to steady him.

“Hey kid, what are you still doing up here? Didn’t Pigsy show you where you were going to be sleeping?” Sun asked.

“Oh! Wukong, sir! Oh, sorry, yeah Pigsy showed me but I couldn’t fall asleep just yet,” MK said with an embarrassed laugh.

“Oh? Why not? I thought after a day like today you’d be dead tired,” Sun said.

“Oh, I am tired. At least, my body is. I’m sore in places I didn’t know I could be sore,” MK said, “But…my head isn’t tired yet.”

“Your head?” Sun asked, “You’re going to have to explain a bit more then that kid.”

“Promise you won’t laugh?” MK asked.

“I will promise no such thing,” Sun said, “but it sounds like it might help if you talk about it.”

“Fiiine,” MK sighed, “I guess sometimes I just can’t stop thinking. My brain just latches on to all of my questions and worries and won’t let them go, even to let me sleep. I actually came out here ‘cause I hoped watching the waves would be boring enough to make me sleepy.”

“Is it working?” Sun asked.

“No, the water is too interesting,” MK replied.

“What?” Sun asked.

In reply, MK simply pointed down at the water. Sun glanced over the railing and raised his eyebrows in surprise. The water was filled with a bloom of glowing green jellyfish. There was enough of them that they illuminated the side of his ship in a soft green light.

“Well, that’s a surprise,” Sun said, “I’ve seen these guys before but never in these numbers. They must be riding the same current we are.”

“Yeah, they’re pretty cool,” MK said, “But they’re definitely not making me sleepy.”

“Hm, well why don’t you ask me some of these question that are keeping you awake,” Sun said, “I might even be able to answer a few.”

MK was quiet for a moment as he stared intently at the jellyfish before he turned to Sun, a worried expression on his face.

“Sir, what were those things that attacked us? I’ve…I’ve never seen anything like them,” MK said.

“I wouldn’t have expected you to have seen them before but surely you’ve heard of them,” Sun said with an incredulous expression on his face, “You know…the disastrous bull clone experiment?”

“No…but I’ve been on my own in that port for a few years now. I haven’t exactly been in the loop news wise,” MK said, slightly annoyed.

“Right,” Sun said, “About a year ago The Demon Bull King threw a fit after one of his fleets suffered a massive loss against some enemy ships. He blamed the whole thing on his men and demanded a replacement crew that would follow his orders to the letter, without complaint.”

“Wait, that was the crew? Those monsters?” MK asked.

“Not exactly monsters, mechanical men made of steel and powered by lightning or something,” Sun said with a vague wave of his hand, “Someone submitted a design for them and at first DBK was pleased. They made whole fleets of them to replace over half of the navy crew. But it turns out they have some rather lethal flaws.”

“Lethal?” MK asked with a gulp.

“Yeah, turns out they follow their instructions to the letter, even at the cost of their living counterparts. My guess is, with the group we ran into back there, they were given the order to return to whatever base they came from before they crashed and lost whoever was giving them orders. They probably wanted to hijack our ship to do so,” Sun explained, “Anyways, a whole bunch of other high- ranking navy families got mad at DBK and he was forced to scrap the project. You’ll still find a couple of abandoned groups here and there but without someone to give them orders they aren’t too big of an issue.”

“Oh…I wonder who designed them,” MK said.

“Not sure,” Sun said, “Their name was never made public. But I’d hate to be in their shoes now. I’m sure DBK isn’t happy with them.”

“I guess so,” MK said.

“Why are you so worried about them anyways? You handled yourself just fine against that one,” Sun said. 

MK gave a weak laugh.

“Would you believe me if I told you that was my first fight?” MK asked.

“Really? You pulled a stunt like that without any practice?” Sun asked.

“Oh, I’ve used that move before but never to attack. Usually my goal is to run away from people, not to attack,” MK admitted.

“Well,” Sun mused, “What would you say to a couple of sword lessons? From yours truly, of course.”

“Really?!” MK said, abruptly standing up straight, “You mean it?”

“Sure,” Sun said, trying his hardest to keep his tone nonchalant, “It’s unlikely we’ll run into any more bull clones, but this ship still isn’t the safest place to be. It’s probably for the best that you know how to use something a bit sturdier than a scrub mop to defend yourself.”

“I’d love that!” MK yelled.

“Hey, settle down, you don’t want to wake the whole ship,” Sun chuckled, “Now get to bed. I’m not an easy teacher and you’ll want to be full night’s sleep.”

“Yes sir!” MK said, slightly quieter than before.

“Oh, one last thing,” Sun said, “stop calling me sir. My name is Sun Wukong, remember.”

“Uhhh,” Mk said, looking down at his feet.

Sun gave a dramatic sigh before admitting defeat.

“Or just call me ‘captain,’ if that’s more comfortable for you,” Sun said.

“Yes captain!” MK said with a wide grin before he scampered off towards the ladder that led to the crews quarters.

Sun sat for a moment longer on the railing, looking down at the jellyfish. They must be a good omen he thought, he’d never imagined that it would be this easy to get the kid interested. At this rate it would be simplicity itself to convince him to remain onboard. As for his end goal, well, that might take a little more work but if there was one thing Sun had learned over the past years it was patience. Even if that lesson had been a bit painful at times. With a small hop, Sun landed back on the deck and headed back to his own quarters. Tomorrow was going to be an interesting day.

“Sir!”

Red Son turned as his first mate’s voice interrupted his thoughts. They had been lingering in the port town where The Flowering Fruit had last been spotted for two days now and they hadn’t found a single lead as to their next destination. It wasn’t that surprising. This town was well known to be full of nothing but pirates and thieves. He supposed that made it the perfect place for The Flowering Fruit to restock its supplies, but he’d still hoped some coin would loosen some ones’ lips. Alas, the most interesting thing they’d found was an oddly aggressive shopkeeper.

“Report,” Red Son said.

“You’ll never believe this sir, but I got a signal from some bull clones,” the first mate said.

Red Son whirled around in surprise. All navy vessels carried a transmitter capable of alerting them of any stray bull clones in the area, but he’d assumed, like most, that they were all deactivated by now. Quickly, Red Son composed himself.

“That is surprising, but I fail to see how it impacts our current objective,” Red Son said.

“Well, sir, the signal showed them all active a few hours ago but…then we lost their signal almost all at once. I think…I think someone fought them,” the first mate said.

Red Son paused a moment, mulling over this new information.

“How far away are they?” Red Son asked.

“Only a days sailing,” the first mate said.

“Considering our current progress in this area it seems like it would be worth checking out. Get us ready to sail,” Red Son ordered.


	5. The Lesson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sun begins teaching MK how to sword fight

MK waited on the forecastle deck, quietly bouncing in place. Sun had asked him to wait here while he retrieved some weapons for them to practice with. Mei was leaning on the railing behind him. Sandy was one the other side of the ship, manning the helm and Pigsy was sitting on a barrel near him. Sandy gave a little wave when he noticed MK looking at him. Finally, MK heard Sun coming up from the lower decks. As he came up the steps, MK saw that he was holding two short, curved swords.

“Sorry for the wait kid,” Sun said, “we really need to clean out the armory.”

“It’s okay,” MK said.

Sun gave smirk and tossed MK one of the blades.

“So, I’m sure you’ve seen seamen strutting around the docks with these bad boys on their hips. This is a cutlass, and it’s going to be your best friend,” Sun said.

MK drew the blade and gave it a few experimental swings. He marveled at how light the blade was, he could easily swing it with just one hand.

“So, show me a stance,” Sun said.

“What?” MK asked.

“Show me what you think a good fighting stance looks like,” Sun said, “I gotta know what I’m working with.”

“Oh, okay,” MK said nervously.

MK put one foot back and the other foot forward, his feet shoulder width apart. He held the cutlass in front of him with one hand and the other behind him. Sun stared at him for a moment before bursting out laughing.

“What? What’s wrong?” MK asked as his cheeks grew warm.

“Oh, sorry kid, nothing’s wrong,” Sun said as he wiped a tear from his eye, “you just look like you’re about to start fencing.”

“Oh,” MK said as he pulled out of the stance and rubbed the back of his head.

“I’m guessing you saw some fancy pants nobles decide to throw down?” Sun asked as he sidled up to MK.

“Yeah, that’s it,” MK said.

“Well, it’s not a bad start,” Sun said, “but you can’t fence with a cutlass. Fencing is meant to be done with a rapier, which is much longer and thinner than a cutlass. Which also means that fencing is meant to do damage from a distance, as much as you can with a sword anyways.”

Sun gently pressed down on MK’s shoulders until he was in a lower stance then he had been before.

“Cutlasses on the other hand meant for up close and personal combat. Also, they’re meant for hacking and slashing, not poking and stabbing like a rapier. That’s not to say you can’t pull of some fancy moves with a cutlass, it’s just best to keep the basics in mind,” Sun said, “Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“I think so,” MK said.

“Good,” Sun said with a grin, “Now, when holding your sword, it’s best to keep your grip firm but flexible. Too loose and the sword will get knocked out of your hand. Too tight, and you’ll end up hurting your wrist.”

This continued for hours as the sun rose to its highest point in the sky with Sun talking MK through the basic stances and movements of fighting with a cutlass. Just as MK’s arms began shaking with exhaustion, Sun gave a smile and a nod of approval.

“That’s enough for today, good work kid,” Sun said.

MK gave a sigh of relief and scanned the deck. Finding the cutlasses discarded scabbard, he picked it up and sheathed the blade before dropping to the deck. Mei sat down next to him and offered him a canteen.

“Thanks,” MK said.

“No problem. You did pretty well for your first lesson,” Mei said.

“You think so?” MK asked.

“Yeah, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Sun smile at the end of a lesson before. Of course, the only other person I’ve seen him train before is me,” Mei said with a laugh.

“Sun trained you too?” MK asked.

“Of course,” Sun said, “One of the most stubborn students I’ve ever had.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Mei said.

“Of course you do,” Sun said as he headed for the steps, “Mei when you’re done relaxing can you check on Tang’s progress for me? Oh, and take MK with you. It’ll be educational.”

“Oh, wait!” MK said as he scrambled to his feet.

He rushed over to Sun and held the cutlass out in front of him.

“Uh, what are doing?” Sun asked.

“Don’t you need this back?” MK asked.

“Hmmm, how about you hang onto it?” Sun said.

“Really?” MK asked, his eyes wide.

“Sure, it’s yours kid. As long as you’re onboard, of course,” Sun said.

“Thank you s…captian!” MK said clutching the cutlass tightly.

MK looked down at his waist, stalling when he remembered that he didn’t own a belt. Sun chuckled as he noticed MK’s mental distress and untied the red sash from his own waist.

“Here, this should work for now,” Sun said.

“Oh, but…” MK said.

“Don’t worry kid I’ve got a million of them,” Sun reassured MK.

“Thank you,” MK said.

MK tied the sash around his waist and then slid the cutlass into place. He gave Sun a proud smile, his hands on his hips.

“Hey, now you look like a real pirate,” Mei teased, “Come on.”

Mei grabbed MK’s hand and towed him down the stairs. Sun chuckled at her enthusiasm and made his way over to Pigsy and Sandy.

“You look like a cat that got the cream,” Pigsy said, “I take it that it went well?”

“Kids a natural,” Sun said, his tail swishing back and forth in satisfaction.

“I’d be nice if he stayed,” Sandy said, “I already can’t imagine this ship without him.”

“I get the feeling he’s not going anywhere,” Sun said.

“Riiight,” Pigsy said, his tone suspicious, “Where were those two charging off to anyways?”

“I asked them to check on Tang for me,” Sun said.

“I think I’ll check on him too,” Pigsy said as he scooted his way off the barrel and headed for the stairs.

“Tang!” Mei yelled as she and MK burst through the door, “Sun wanted us to see how you’re doing!”

MK gave a small gasp as he took in Tang’s room. A large table was set in the center of the room, with a large map spread out on it. Tang stood on at one of the table looking at them with an annoyed expression on his face and a red pencil in his hand. Pinned on the walls were several smaller maps of varying quality. In tall baskets on the floor were even more rolled bunches of paper that MK assumed were more maps. Along with the maps were haphazard stacks of books with loose sheets of paper sticking out of them.

“Mei and MK, good to see you,” Tang said as he readjusted his glasses.

“Hi,” MK said with a small wave, “This is an amazing room. I’ve never seen so many maps.”

“Thank you,” Tang said, “I took great care in collecting them.”

“So, how far are you in plotting our course?” Mei asked.

“About as far as I can get without knowing the exact location of our final destination,” Tang said as he gestured at the map.

MK peeked at the map and saw that Tang had charted an odd, zigzagging course across the ocean.

“Why is it so…zig zaggy?” MK asked.

“To throw off any potential pursuers,” Tang said.

“Really?” Pigsy said from behind them, causing Mei and MK to jump, “Because it looks like you plotted a course that stops at every port with a good noodle restaurant in it.”

“It can be both,” Tang said with a shrug.

Red Son gave a growl of frustration as he looked at the map in front of him. They’d found the destroyed Bull Clones and it was clear that they’d fought seasoned warriors, but there was no evidence that they had faced off against The Flowering Fruit. Later that day he’d received messenger pigeons with reports of the previous ports that The Flowering Fruit had been spotted in but they’d been less then helpful. He’d ordered that the ship make its way to the next port leaving him to stare at his maps with the ports marked on it.

“Sir?” his first mate said as he entered the cabin.

“Yes? Report,” Red Son ordered.

“We’re two days out from the next port,” the first mate said.

“Very well,” Red Son said, turning as he noticed that his first mate didn’t immediately leave, “Is there something else?”

“Are those the ports The Flowering Fruit visited?” the first mate asked.

“Yes, they are,” Red Son said.

“Where…where are they going?” the first mate asked as his eyes traced the bizarre crisscrossing path.

“I have no idea,” Red Son sighed.


	6. The Bargain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sun makes MK an offer

The next two days passed like a dream for MK. He spent his mornings with Sun, learning how to weald the cutlass. He hadn’t been so sure how he felt about having Sun’s attention focused solely on him but he had been surprised to find he was enjoying it. True, he often laughed at his mistakes and teased him whenever he got flustered but it was never malicious. There was something in the captains smile that seemed to invite him to laugh with him. Like there was some secret joke he hadn’t quite figured out yet.

His afternoons were split between the other crewmembers. Sometimes he worked in the galley with Pigsy and found that, while he was just as gruff as he first assumed he was, he was also proud of his culinary experience and a fair teacher as well. Sometimes he worked with Sandy in the lowers decks as Sandy taught him how to clean and care for the cannons. He also stopped and taught him how to properly clean and sharpen his cutlass all while beaming in excitement as MK told him about his lessons with Sun. Other times he helped Tang make adjustments to their course, which was boring and tedious work but he also found that Tang was glad to share the many stories he had gathered in his readings. He suspected that Tang was just happy to have someone pay such rapt attention to his words but he loved the stories too much to care. But his favorite hours were spent with Mei as she dragged him around the ship and demonstrated how to do various chores. Her energy and excitement was contagious even as she did her best to teach him how to tie a sailor’s knot. The only problem was she often left him feeling exhausted afterwards and he wondered where her boundless energy could possibly be coming from. But, all too soon, the next port city was visible in the distance. When Sun found him, he was leaning on the railing, staring at the buildings that were only just barely visible in the distance.

“What’s the matter kid?” Sun asked.

“Oh, just…remembering when I first came onboard… and the deal we made,” MK said.

“I see,” Sun said, “And that has you down?”

“Yeah, I guess so,” MK said.

“Hmm, well cheer up kid,” Sun said as he slapped MK’s back, “We’ll be dropping you off soon and you can get on with your life.”

MK gave a nervous laugh as he watched Sun saunter away and into his quarters. Then he turned to look at the port town again. Get on with his life? What was that supposed to mean? He couldn’t be sure, but he was fairly certain that it was bigger than the one he was living in before. He didn’t want to go back to living on the streets, but in a bigger city maybe there would be a chance for him to go straight, get an actual job and a real place of his own to live in. But what would he even do? He’d never worked an honest day’s work in his life. And even then, he was still be starting over in some place completely new…with nothing but strangers everywhere... and leaving behind everything and everyone he’d already come to hold so dear. A tight, twisting feeling in his chest MK turned and rushed towards the captain’s quarters.

From the stern castle deck Sandy and Pigsy watched MK run towards Sun’s room and Pigsy gave an exhausted sigh.

“What was that all about?” Sandy asked.

“I think it means Sun just got what he wanted,” Pigsy grumbled, “and I just lost a bet.”

“Captain!” MK yelled as he shoved the door open a little harder than he intended and flinched as it slammed against the wall, “Sorry.”

The room was large, over twice the size of the crew’s quarters with a large four-poster bed on the right- hand size. At the foot of the bed was a large wooden chest with a large lock holding it shut. In the corner was a coat rack with his brilliant red coat and large tricorn hat hanging on it. On the left- hand side was a large writing desk where Sun currently sat, a bemused expression on his face.

“What’s up kid? What’s got you in such a rush?” Sun asked.

“Oh…umm,” MK said, suddenly feeling far more nervous then before, “When I first came on b-board you said you were missing a-a cabin boy, right? I was w-wondering if … I could stay? As your cabin boy?”

“Mmm,” Sun said as he leaned back in his chair, “No.”

“No?” MK repeated, his voice tight.

“No, I was lying about the cabin boy bit. We never actually needed one. I just find that people tend to relax if give them an actual reason I haven’t thrown them overboard,” Sun explained.

“Oh,” MK said, his shoulders drooping, “Uh, sorry to disturb you then.”

“Now hang on kid, I said we don’t need a cabin boy. I didn’t say you couldn’t stay,” Sun said.

“What?” MK asked.

“Close the door kid, this is going to take a minute,” Sun said.

MK gently closed the door behind him. Sun got up and resettled himself on the bed and gestured for MK to join him. MK sat down, sinking slightly into the mattress.

“Kid, do you have any idea how long I’ve been sailing around like this?” Sun asked.

“Ummm no. I’m mean I’ve heard of some stories going pretty far back but it’s hard to tell which ones are…” MK trailed off.

“True?” Sun asked, “I guess I can’t blame you for that, tales have a way of getting twisted around. But needless to say, I’ve been at this a veery long time.”

“How long?” MK asked.

“Let’s just say I’m much older than I look,” Sun said with a dismissive wave of his hand, “and I’m about ready to give up the pirating life.”

“Give it up?!” MK yelled.

“Yeah, ya know retire.” Sun said with a shrug, “But I’ve got a problem. I can’t leave my crew high and dry, especially when they’re nowhere near being ready to give up the pirating life. So, I had an idea. What I need is someone to take my place.”

“Take … your place?” MK asked.

“Exactly! A successor!” Sun said.

“Wait,” MK said as the confusion slowly lifted from his face, “You mean me?!”

“You got it,” Sun said with a little snap of his fingers.

“But...but… I couldn’t possibly,” MK said the panic rising in his voice.

“Hey, calm down kid, I don’t want you to take over right this second,” Sun laughed, “I mean you have a lot of potential but there’s plenty you still have to learn. And I wouldn’t leave until I was sure you were ready.”

“But wouldn’t it be kind of obvious that I wasn’t you?” MK asked, “I mean, we don’t exactly look alike.”

“Au contraire,” Sun said, “You see this isn’t what I look like when I’m out doing my usual dastardly deeds. Normally, I dress like this.”

With a little bounce, Sun got up from the bed and headed over to the coat rack. With a flourish he donned the coat and hat and then retrieved a red bandana from the pocket of the coat. With a quick, practiced movement he tied the bandana over the lower half of his face.

“See? It’s the clothes the average sailor recognizes, not my face. And by the time I’m done with you, even those that are familiar with me probably won’t notice the difference as long as you keep the mask on,” Sun explained.

“But…why me?” MK asked, “I’m not anything special.”

Sun gave a weary sigh and returned the hat to coat rack and pulled down the mask. He sat back down next to MK and slung his arm around his shoulder.

“Kid, I saw something in you from the moment Sandy carried you on deck and you only confirmed it for me when I saw you take down that bull clone. I know you can do this,” Sun said.

MK smiled slightly but his gaze slid back down to the floorboards.

“But, if you aren’t convinced, how about we make another deal?” Sun said.

“Yeah?” MK asked.

“You see, this stop isn’t just for supplies. There’s actually something special that we’re after. Join our little… heist and if you still aren’t convinced of your own capabilities then I’ll let it go. You can stay onboard as a normal member of the crew and I won’t speak of it again. But, if you think you can do it,” Sun said.

“I…” MK said as he hesitated only a moment, “I’ll do it.”

“That’s what I like to hear!” Sun said as he grabbed MK’s arm and dragged him back through the doors and onto the deck, “Hey everyone! MK is going to help us rob a bureaucrat!”


	7. Scouting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mei takes MK to scout out their target

MK watched as the rest of the crew prepared to dock in the port town, his mind still reeling from his conversation with Sun. Him? Sun’s successor? He couldn’t be serious. But he hadn’t seen any trace of malice in Sun’s eyes, or any other sign he’d been lying.

“Hey, MK,” Mei said.

MK startled slightly, realizing that Mei was right in front of him and he hadn’t noticed.

“Sorry Mei, I was lost in thought. What’s going on?” MK asked.

“We’re switching out our flags. Want to come help me get the other one?” Mei asked.

“Oh, sure,” MK said.

“Cool, you carry,” Mei said as she shoved a folded black flag into MK’s hands.

“So, what are we swapping the Jolly Rodger our for?” MK asked as they descended to the lower decks.

“Just a regular merchant’s flag,” Mei explained, “We’ve got some cargo to sell as cover too. It’s one of the best ways to dock without being noticed, well that and making a little donation to the dock master.”

“Sneaky,” MK said.

“I think we all prefer ‘clever,’” Mei said as she opened up one of the crates and pulled out a red and gold flag instead.

Mei dragged MK down the gangplank and waved to Pigsy and Sandy as they went by.

“Bye!” Mei yelled, “We’re going to check out the town!”

“See you later!” Sandy yelled.

“Play it safe, you hear?!” Pigsy yelled.

“We’ll be fine!” Mei yelled.

Mei dragged MK into the marketplace. She was the same hyperactive ball of smiles and excitement as ever but MK found he couldn’t relax. He felt like at any moment someone would yell ‘pirates’ and they would be surrounded. In fact, he could hardly believe that no ones seemed to be looking at them as it was. As MK turned to look behind him for the fifth time he felt a hand on his shoulder and spun around in panic.

“Hey, calm down, would you?” Mei laughed.

“Sorry,” MK said as he nervously scratched at the back of his neck, “I just can’t believe we can walk around so casually like this.”

“Well, it’s not like we’re advertising who we are. Besides, they’re only going think you’re suspicious if you act suspicious. Besides, we’ve done this a million times. So, relax already,” Mei said.

“I’ll try,” MK said.

“Good, now come on. It’s time to get to the good stuff,” Mei said.

“The good stuff?” MK asked as Mei grabbed his hand once more and dragged him down another street.

Mei dragged MK down a twisting series of streets until they came to a massive stone wall.

“Uh…Mei? Where are we?” MK asked.

“This is the house!” Mei announced.

“Wait…the house?” MK said, “Mei this isn’t a house! This is a fortress!”

“Eh, all rich people houses have some sort of defenses. And they all have some sort of weakness. We just have to find it,” Mei said.

“Hey! You down there!” another voice yelled.

MK and Mei looked up to see an armored guard on to p of the wall. MK tensed to run but Mei put her hand on his shoulder to calm him.

“Sorry sir! We don’t mean to disturb you! I think we got turned around, do you know where the market is?” Mei asked.

“Down that street and to the left,” the guard said pointing to the street they had just come from.

“Thank you, sir” Mei said as she grabbed MK’s hand and led him back down the street.

“You’re really good at this,” MK said as they turned a corner.

“Eh, it just takes practice. Anyways we’ll wait until this guy moves on and take another look at that the outer wall,” Mei said.

MK peeked around the corner and took a look at the guard. The guards gaze scanned the ground level before moving on. Then MK’s gaze glanced up at the rooftops.

“Actually, I think we can go back to the ship,” MK said.

“What? You’re not still nervous are you?” Mei asked.

“No,” MK said, “Actually, I think I have an idea.”

“Get over the wall from the rooftops?” Sun asked.

“Y-yeah,” MK stammered, “It looks like the guards have been trained to expect trouble from the ground. I’m guessing this town has had riots in the past. So, if we go in from the rooftops, we’re less likely to get spotted.”

Sun leaned back in his chair, his face pensive. Then he gave a wry grin.

“A solid start to a plan, well done,” Sun said.

“R-really?” MK asked.

“Yeah kid,” Sun said, “Now let’s figure out the rest of the details.”

“How?” MK asked.

“We talk to the person who came up with this mission in the first place,” Sun said.

“So, you think you found a way in?” Tang asked.

“MK is the one who found a way in,” Sun said.

MK gave a shy wave from the edge of Tang’s desk, half fearing that Tang would object to a plan that came from him. But Tang only nodded and turned his attention back to the papers that covered his desk.

“My sources say that the map we need is being used as a display piece in one of the reception rooms,” Tang said.

“The reception room? Why would a map be used as a display piece for guests?” MK asked.

“Well, that’s because it’s a map to a place that most people believe doesn’t exist,” Sun explained.

“So, it’s being treated as an art piece instead of the important historical document it is,” Tang grumbled.

“Don’t worry Tang,” Sun said, “We’re going to go rescue it for you. MK, you ready for your first official mission?”

“Should I really be going on this mission? I’ve only been training with you for two days,” MK protested.

“The best teacher is experience. It’ll be you mean and Mei tonight,” Sun said.

Red Son gave a sigh of annoyance as he wiped off his glasses. The dock master had been annoyingly pushy and Red had a sneaking suspicion that he’d given them an extra hard time when he’d made it clear he wasn’t offering any bribes, but now everything was sorted. They could begin their search for information in the morning.

“Sir,” the first mate said.

“Yes?” Red Son replied.

“The Lord of Fortress has learned of our arrival and has invited you to dinner tonight,” the first mate said.

“Understood,” Red Son said, “Send a reply saying that I’d be honored to join him.”


	8. The Robbery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MK, Mei and Sun put their plan into action.

MK, Mei, and Sun sprinted across the rooftops their eyes trained on the fortress before them. Mk tried to keep his breathing steady, but his heart was already pounding and not just from physical exertion. It was true he’d stolen before, but he’d only ever stolen to survive. Not to mention there was a pretty big leap between robbing a fruit stand and robbing a bureaucrat’s home.

MK’s eyes found Sun’s silhouette in the darkness, easily making his way across the rooftops like he had done this a million times before. Which, now that he thought about it, he probably had. Still, it had surprised MK when Sun had shown up at the meeting point in his full coat, hat, and mask. When MK had asked him why he had dressed up for a robbery Sun had simply replied, ‘well of course the goal is to not get caught, but if we do get caught I want them to know it was me. I have a reputation to uphold after all.’

After what seemed like an eternity, they reached the rooftop right next the fortress’s outer wall. Laying down on the still warm tile, MK poked his head up only to feel Sun’s hand press his head down lower against the roof top.

“I’ll keep watch,” Sun whispered, “Just trust me, kid.”

As the three of them waited in the darkness, MK could hear the approaching footsteps of one of the guards. He held his breath as the footsteps came closer, and closer, and closer… and then started to fade into the distance. He’d been right. The guards hadn’t been trained to expect trouble from above. MK felt Sun’s hand grip his shoulder and haul him into a standing position.

“Now,” Sun whispered.

The three of them backed up a few steps, ran forward, and launched themselves across the gap. MK’s foot slipped against the edge of the wall but Mei’s hand shot out and hauled him back onto the wall. She then continued to pull him over the other edge of the wall where they landed in an exquisitely ornate garden. As MK shakily stood, he realized they were missing someone.

“Where’s the captain?” MK whispered.

MK got his answer as a rope fell down beside him and Sun slide down and stepped away from it, leaving the rope dangling behind him.

“Just a note for next time,” Sun whispered, “It’s best if your plan includes an exit strategy.”

“Oh,” MK said, blushing slightly.

“Come on!” Mei whispered harshly, “The reception hall is over here!”

MK and Sun followed Mei across the yard until the reached a large rectangular building. Mei cautiously slid the door open, and then gestured for them to come forward. Mei turned to them as the stepped inside and closed the door behind them.

“We have to hurry,” Mei whispered, “There’s no one here now but they have the candles lit, so they must have a guest coming tonight.”

They spread out across the long room, examining each piece of hanging artwork they could find. Finally, MK spotted a long painting on one end of the room. It seemed to portray a large ocean with strange creatures swimming in it and a series of islands spread out across it.

“Is this it?” MK whispered.

Sun hurried to his side and a smile spread across his face as he took in the painting.

“This is it kid, good work,” Sun said, “Help me get it down.”

Sun and MK stretched to reach the corners of the painting and gently lifted it down. Sun quickly rolled it up and handed it to Mei.

“Let’s get going,” Sun whispered.

As they turned to head for the door, all three of them froze at the sound of approaching footsteps.

“Hide,” Sun ordered.

Sun and MK dove behind a decorative screen while Mei hid behind a large chest on the other side of the room. They collectively held their breath as the door slid open.

Red Son bit back a groan as he the attendant escorted him to the reception room. He should have expected this. It wasn’t enough to have dinner with the Lord of the Fortress, he was expected to spend most of the night exchanging pleasantries with the man as well.

“His Lordship will join you soon,” the attendant said.

“Of course,” Red Son said as he stepped into the room.

Red Son began to slowly walk the length of the room, taking in the décor. He never thought much of these nobles who insisted on wasting his time, but he had to admit that his Lordship had fine taste, in both food and decorations. Or perhaps it was his wife who had overseen both, it could be hard to tell sometimes. Either way, it was equally as hard to tell how long he was going to be kept waiting so he may as well take it all in while he had the chance.

MK peeked out from behind the screen to get a look at the guest as they walked by. Since he was on his hands and knees, the first thing he noticed was his boots. The black and probably recently polished as they shone slightly in the candlelight. Next was his brown trousers, followed by a well-tailored blue coat with gold trimmings. MK couldn’t see the man’s face, but he could see his long, red ponytail that hung neatly down his back. His red hair had yellow highlights that, as the candle flames flickered and danced, almost made his hair appear to be on fire itself. All in all, the man cut a fine figure, both lean and strong as he sauntered down the length of the hall with a natural air of confidence. MK didn’t even realize he had been staring until he spotted Mei’s face peeking out from behind the trunk, smirking at him. Right. They were in the middle of a robbery.

MK waved to make sure Mei was looking at him and then pointed urgently towards the door. Mei nodded and then began creeping her way towards the door. MK looked back to Sun, who nodded at him, and then they began making their way towards the door as well, moving from screen to screen as quietly as possible.

Finally, they reached the door and made their way out into the courtyard with MK sneaking one last look at the guest before sliding the door shut behind him.

Red Son stopped as he noticed something rather odd. The décor throughout the reception room had been rather consistent but now he found himself staring at a rather large blank space on the wall. Was the reception room unfinished? If so it was strange that they had asked him to wait here, most of the nobles he was acquainted with would rather be caught dead then show an unfinished room to a guest.

Red Son’s musings were cut short as he heard the sliding doors behind him open and shut. He turned, expecting to see his Lordship entering but instead found he was still alone. Curious, he walked back to the door and saw three forms retreating rapidly across the courtyard. Red Son was stunned for a moment as he processed the fact that he walked into the middle of robbery, but he quickly regained his voice.

“STOP! THEIVES!” Red Son yelled.

Two of the figures had already made their way over the wall but the third stopped as he heard Red Son shout. From on top of the wall Red Son could see the figure was wearing a bright red coat with gold trim, a tricorn hat with long red and golden feathers sticking out of it, and a red mask that covered the lower portion of his face. It was a figure Red Son easily recognized from the wanted posters and Red Son could swear he was smirking at him from underneath the mask. As the guards raced towards The Monkey King, he jumped from the wall and onto one of the nearby rooftops.

Red Son raced for the gates, two thoughts in his mind. First, that he couldn’t let this opportunity slip away. Second, he might not know how they were getting there but he was certain he knew where they were going.


	9. First Chase

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red Son pursues the Flowering Fruit

MK stumbled as he made his way up the gangplank and tumbled onto the deck of the Flowering Fruit. He heard a snicker and looked up to see Mei had made it ahead of him and was handing off the painting to Tang.

“You okay kid?” Pigsy asked he helped MK to his feet.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” MK said.

“Where’s the captain?” Sandy asked.

“He was right behind me,” MK said.

“Here I am,” Sun said, “I hope we’re ready to drop anchor.”

“Of course,” Sandy said proudly, “But, uh, what’s the rush?”

“We got spotted as we were leaving,” Sun explained.

“Then they’re on your tail right now?!” Pigsy yelled.

“Probably,” Sun said with a shrug.

“You…you…” Pigsy stammered, “Augh! Come on Sandy! The sails!”

Red Son burst into the harbor, his chest heaving. Frantically, he scanned the ships, looking for any sign of movement. Then, he spotted it. A single ship leaving the harbor, its sails fully unfurled.

“NO!” Red Son yelled.

Red Son turned and ran for his own ship. Rushing up the gangplank, Red scanned the surprised faces of his crew until he spotted his first mate.

“Sir? Is everything alright?” the first mate asked.

“Are we ready to sail?” Red Son asked.

“What?” the first mate replied.

“You heard me!” Red Son yelled, “Are we ready to sail?!”

“Well, yes, we finished resupplying this afternoon but why…?” the first mate asked.

“Then follow that ship!” Red Son ordered as he pointed at the retreating ship, “Our target is on that ship!”

“Captain!” Tang called from the crow’s nest, “I think we have a tail.”

Sun jumped onto the railing and peered into the darkness. It wasn’t long before he spotted the ship in the distance, its bright red sails standing in stark contrast to the dark skies. Sun growled to himself, it must be that navy boy that spotted him back at the fortress.

“Sandy, how does our speed look?” Sun asked.

“Good and fast, captain,” Sandy said.

Sun nodded to himself. At this rate, it was unlikely the navy ship would catch up to them, much less so that they would get within firing distance. With a little luck they could lose them long before they reached their destination.

“Tang! Keep an eye on them! Let me know if they start gaining on us!” Sun yelled as he gave a stretch and headed towards his cabin.

“Sir,” the first mate said as he entered Red Son’s cabin, “We’ve managed to keep the ship in our sights but they’ve caught the same tailwind as us. We aren’t making any headway.”

“That’s alright,” Red Son replied, “I think I’ve figured out where they’re headed.”

“You have, sir?” the first mate said.

“Yes, I believe they’re headed here,” Red Son said as he pointed to a cluster of dots on his map.

“But…that’s…” the first mate stammered.

“Flower Fruit Mountain,” Red Son said.

Red Son understood his first mate’s reaction. While beautiful from a distance, Flower Fruit Mountain was an island surrounded by hidden shoals, dangerous reefs, and sheer cliffs. Many ships had tried to land there in the past and all that remained of them were hollow wrecks.

“Why would they be going there?” the first mate asked.

“Hard to say. Maybe they hope to lose us there. Maybe they know a secret we don’t and Flower Fruit Mountain isn’t as unapproachable as it seems. Either way our only hope is to head them off before they get there,” Red Son said.

“How?” the first mate asked.

“By going through here,” Red Son said as he pointed to an area on his map that was striped with red lines, “If my calculations are correct there’s a current here. If we catch it, we should be able to gain enough speed to catch up to them.”

“But sir, that area is filled with deadly reefs! If we go through there…” the first mate said.

“This isn’t up for debate,” Red Son said, his voice steady, “Set the course immediately.”

Frightened, the first mate turned and left the cabin. Red Son took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his ponytail, his hands shaking. It was a risk, he knew this, but it was one he had to take. His father expected results and if he lost the Monkey King now it could be months before he picked up his trail again. He really didn’t have any other choice.

MK stepped out on deck, blinking in the morning sunlight. He noticed that the sun was already high in the sky and marveled at how late it already was. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept this late. It must have been on account of all the running he’d done last night. To his left MK could see open ocean but to his right was an island that was split in two by a narrow strait. Scanning the deck, he spotted Mei half hanging over the railing.

“Morning!” MK said.

“Morning?” Mei laughed, “You know it’s almost noon, right?”

“Sorry,” MK said sheepishly, “I never sleep this late, honest. Why didn’t you wake me up?”

“Pigsy was going to but Sun said to let you sleep in,” Mei explained, “I guess he thought you did pretty well last night.”

“Yeah? How do you think I did last night?” MK asked.

“Mmm,” Mei said, “Pretty good. Until you went all heart eyes over that navy boy.”

“Wha…? I d-don’t know what you’re talking about,” MK stammered.

“Oh? So, you didn’t spend a whole minute of precious time staring at the backside of that red head in the blue navy coat?” Mei teased.

“N-no. I was just…trying to think of the… best exit strategy,” MK said.

“Suure,” Mei said as she rolled her eyes, “Now, get going. Sun’s waiting for you,” Mei said.

“Really? Why didn’t you say so!?” MK said as he dashed towards Sun’s cabin.

Mei gave a snort of amusement and the turned back towards the ocean. MK was nice, but he needed better taste in men. She really couldn’t imagine things going well if those two ever actually met face to face.

“Captain?” MK said softly as he opened the door to Sun’s cabin.

“Hey kid,” Sun said from his seat in front of the desk, “sleep well?”

“Yeah, better than I have in a while. Mei said that you were looking for me?” MK said.

“Yes, I wanted to know what you thought of last night’s adventure,” Sun said.

“I…I’ve never felt like that before in my life. I was so excited and terrified at the same time. I felt like my heart was going to pound straight out of my chest,” MK said.

“And?” Sun prompted.

“And…I’ve never felt so close to anyone like that before either. You and Mei…I swear I knew what you were both thinking without hearing either of you speak. I…I want to feel like that again. Over and over if I can. I want to accept your proposal Sun. I want to be your successor,” MK said.

“Now that’s what I wanted to hear!” Sun yelled, jumping to his feet, “Come! Let’s see you try it on!”

“Try what on?” MK asked.

“The costume of course,” Sun said.

“Everyone!” Sun yelled as he made his way out on deck, “Introducing, the next Monkey King!”

MK stepped out on deck. He wore Sun’s long red coat with gold trim and his tricorn hat. The red mask covered the bottom half of his face so that only his eyes were visible. Mei gave a little squeal of excitement as she bounced in place. Pigsy gave a small nod of what MK hoped was approval and Sandy simply stared at him as gave a whine of excitement.

“Ahoy down there!” Tang yelled from the crow’s nest.

“Tang!” MK yelled, “How do I look!”

“Kind of uncomfortable,” Tang yelled, “And in other news, ship off the port bow!”

“What?” Sun said as he jumped up on to the railing.

Sure enough, emerging from the strait was a familiar ship with red sails. As Sun squinted, he could make out the scars in the hull of the ship.

“How is that possible?” Pigsy asked.

“There is a way,” Sun said, “But I thought no one would be crazy enough to try it. I guess I was wrong. Tang! How long until they’re on us?”

“Just a few minutes, tops,” Tang said, “No doubt they can already see us.”

“Battle stations, everyone!” Sun yelled.

“Captain, aren’t you forgetting something?” Pigsy said.

Sun turned and saw MK standing behind him. In the Monkey King costume. With no time to change.

“Well… this is going to be interesting,” Sun said.


	10. Compliments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MK distracts Red Son

“Wait, WHAT?!” MK shouted, panic in his voice, “I…I can’t! Not yet! I barely know how to fight!”

“You’re not going to fight,” Sun reassured MK.

“I’m not?” MK said.

“No, we don’t want a battle. Especially not here and especially not now. You just need to distract them long enough for us to get a good hit in,” Sun explained, “If this captain has any sense then they’ll turn around and head back to port.”

“But what am I supposed to say?!” MK said.

“Just pretend you’re me,” Sun said, “I’m sure something will come to you.”

“Pirate crew of the Flowering Fruit!” Red Son called out, his voice seeming to boom across the rapidly shrinking expanse of waves between the two ships, “I am Captain Red Son of the Royal Bull Navy. Surrender now and you won’t be harmed.”

MK looked at the other ship and for a moment, his mind went completely blank. It was him. He was certain of it. Same tailored blue coat. Same long red hair that was tied back in the same low pony tail. But now he could see his face. His jaw line hade a pleasing, square like shape to it. His bangs, unlike the rest of his hair that was tightly pinned back, seemed to flip upwards in a shape that resembled a flame. His eyes were so dark they almost seemed black and MK longed to take a moment to get lost in them. Perched on the bridge of his nose were a small pair of circular glasses.

Later MK would swear his body moved of its own accord, stepping up to the railing until he stepped up onto the railing, the Monkey King coat flapping in the breeze. He took a deep breath and, to his surprise, his voice came out clear and confident. Far more confident then he had ever heard it before.

"I am the Monkey King, captain of this crew!” MK called out, “Before we proceed, perhaps you could answer a question for me?”

Red Son paused for a moment. The Monkey King had a question? For him? What question could he possibly answer for him? He wasn’t sure what to do, there was no protocol for a situation like this. But, he supposed, there was no harm in letting him ask a question. It wasn’t like he was required to answer it.

“Proceed with your query,” Red Son said.

MK’s heart was still pounding. What was he doing? He was completely exposed, anyone could hit him from where he was standing. But as he stared at Red Son, he realized he wanted to be seen. He didn’t care how dangerous it was, he wanted his eyes on him. Before he even knew what he was saying, the words were leaving his mouth.

“Pray tell, sir,” MK said, “What is a person like you doing out on these dangerous waters? Surely, a face like yours belongs in a museum.”

Red Son stood, frozen on the deck of his own ship. What on earth had that pirate just said to him? Was this really the same pirate he had spotted last night? It had to be, he had the same coat and mask as the night before. But the energy he was feeling was completely different from the man he had spotted climbing over the wall. An energy that seemed to be completely focused on him. Red Son’s mind seemed to fizz and spark and he completely lost his train of thought.

“Wha..?!” Red Son stammered a flush rising to his cheeks, “That…that doesn’t even…enough of this!”

Red Son spun around, his coat swirling around him.

“Prepare to fire on that ship!” Red Son ordered.

“Ahoy!” MK yelled, “I see the aft matches the bow!”

Red Son froze once more, caught between the relief that the Monkey King could not see how red his face had become and shame that his crew clearly could. In those moments the sound of a canon firing crashed through the air and Red Son felt a moment of confusion, wondering if one of his crew had jumped the gun. Then he felt his ship shudder beneath him and he stumbled forward, almost falling done. Then he felt a rush of shame flow through him as he realized what had happened. It had all been a distraction. A ruse to give them enough time to get a shot in.

“Report!” Red Son ordered, “How bad is the damage?”

“We’ve got a sizable hole in the hull!” one of the crew yelled, “We’re still floating for now, but if we take another hit, we’re done for!”

Red Son turned to look at The Flowering Fruit, rage burning in his veins. He wanted to stay. He wanted to fight. He wanted to make them pay for humiliating him in this way. But he knew he couldn’t win. They were probably preparing another shot even now.

“About face!” Red Son ordered, “Head back to port.”

MK felt the vibrations of the canon firing travel through the hull of the ship. He wobbled slightly then jumped backwards, back onto the deck of the ship. Then he was stunned to hear Red Son ordering his crew to return to the port. The silence was tense as the two ships separated, The Flowering Fruit heading towards Flower Fruit Mountain and Red Son’s ship heading back towards the port town. MK raced to the back of the ship to catch one last look at Red Son’s ship as it slipped away, just managing to see the name of the ship on the hull. The Scarlet Bull.

Silence reigned over The Flowering Fruit until MK heard something that sounded like wheezing. He turned around and saw Sun behind him, bent over. He panicked at first, thinking Sun must be choking or something, but then he quickly realized that Sun was laughing so hard he couldn’t breathe.

“Sun?? What’s so funny?” MK asked.

“Where??” Sun wheezed, “Where did that come from?”

“Where did what come from?” MK asked.

“That!” Sun said gesturing towards the retreating the ship, “I mean… I never took you for a flirt!”

“A…a flirt?!” MK protested.

“What else would you call that!” Sun said.

“I was just distracting him like you asked me to!” MK said.

“If that was just a distraction, I’d hate to see what actual flirting looks like,” Mei teased as she came up from behind him.

“It was nothing!” MK protested.

“If you guys are done, should we continue to the base?” Tang called from the crow’s nest.

“Please!” MK yelled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone is confused about MK's last compliment... he basically said "nice butt" in pirate lingo.


	11. The Hideout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MK enters Flower Fruit Mountain

MK leaned against the railing on the aft of the ship, the Monkey King jacket and hat removed and returned to Sun’s quarters. His view of Red Son’s ship had been cut off long ago as they sailed around the edge of Flower Fruit Mountain. But still, MK kept his eyes trained on the waves.

“So,” Mei said as she joined him leaning against the railing, “are you done sulking yet?”

“I’m not sulking,” MK muttered.

“If you say so,” Mei said and MK swore he could feel her rolling her eyes, “Look, we’re all sorry for laughing. It was just so… unexpected. I mean I know I haven’t known you long, but I’ve never heard you talk like that before.”

“To be honest, I think that was the first time I’ve spoken like that,” MK said.

“Really?” Mei asked.

“Yeah, it was weird. It was like…I put that mask on and suddenly I didn’t care what everyone thought of me. All I cared about was letting that…guy… know exactly what I thought of him. Does that make any sense?” MK said.

“I guess so,” Mei said.

The silence stretched between them until Mei turned to him with a playful grin on her face.

“So, I guess that means you really did think he was pretty enough to be in a museum?” Mei asked.

“Shut up,” MK said as he gave Mei a light shove.

“Hey you two!” Tang yelled from the crow’s nest, “Get ready! We’re about to pass through!”

“Pass through? Pass through what?” MK asked.

“Sun didn’t tell you?” Mei asked.

“He didn’t have time to tell me a lot before we were attacked and why are you grinning?” MK asked.

“Come on,” Mei said as she grabbed MK’s arm, “You’re going to love this.”

Mei dragged MK to the bow of the boat. MK was sure what all the fuss was about until he spotted where the ship was heading. Directly in front of them was a massive waterfall, its waters thundering down from somewhere high above him. Waters that were getting closer and closer with each passing moment.

“Wait,” MK yelled as the sound of the crashing waters began to overcome them, “We’re going into the waterfall?!”

“What?” Mei yelled.

“I said,” MK yelled, “Are we going in there?!”

“Whaaat?” Mei yelled.

MK was about to yell his question again when he was interrupted by the sound of the crashing water hitting wooded planks. MK turned just in time to see the curtain of water right in front of him before he and Mei passed through it. The freezing cold water slammed into him like a shower of icicles, sending shivers of cold down his spine before it just went numb. Then it was over, just as quickly as it had come.

“WHOO!” Mei yelled, her soaked clothes dripping onto the deck.

“M-Mei!” MK yelled as he shivered.

“What?” Mei asked.

“Y-you could have warned me!” MK protested.

“Where’s the fun in that?” Mei asked.

“F-fun? It was freezing!” MK said.

“Yeah! It feels great! Like a free shower!” Mei said.

“What are you two doing up here?” Sun asked as he climbed up the steps.

“Mei wanted to treat to the full waterfall experience,” MK said, “Hey wait a second. Why are you dry?”

“Because I waited it out in my cabin,” Sun said with a chuckle, “Look, I jumped through the waterfall once, and that was more than enough for me. How about next time you join me?”

“That’d be great,” MK said with a sigh, “Wait, why did you jump through it in the first place?”

“My friends were curious to see what was on the other side, so I volunteered to find out,” Sun explained, “And if you’ll turn around, you’ll see why it was all worth it.”

MK turned around and his confused expression transformed to one of shock as he took in the view. They were inside a massive cavern that was easily large enough to hold the Flowering Fruit and possibly an entire second ship. The shore was illuminated by a large shaft of sunlight that was coming from a large hole in the cavern’s ceiling. And shining in that golden sunlight was a large, beautiful house that looked like it was fit for a prince.

“Welcome to our home away from home,” Sun said, “It’s the perfect place to recuperate between jobs and to have any… intimate discussion you need to have about any certain, say, crushes one might have.”

“SUN!!” MK protested as his face flushed and Sandy expertly steered the ship into the small dock that was built into the cavern wall.

Red Son stood on the bow of his ship as the port town finally came back into view. He wasn’t proud to be limping back here in such a matter, but he still felt a sense of relief to see it at last. It was the first step to getting back on track.

“Sir,” the first mate said as he came up behind him, “what are your orders once we dock?”

“Get the ship to the dry docks as soon as possible,” Red Son said, “I assume I can trust you to oversee the necessary repairs?”

“Yes, sir. But where will I be able to find you? Ah, if the need arises, sir,” the first mate replied.

“Back in the fortress,” Red Son said, “I need to see if the Lord of the Fortress can shed any light on why the pirates were so eager to steal a single painting.”

“Of course, sir,” the first mate said, “And your father?”

“There is no need to trouble my father with any of this,” Red Son replied, his voice cold.

“Yes sir,” the first mate squeaked before he scampered away.


	12. Discussing the Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MK and Mei talk to Sandy about the crew's past.

It took all of an hour before Mei dragged MK out of the waterfall cave to show him around the rest of the island. For an island that so incredibly hard to reach, Flower Fruit Mountain seemed like a rather pleasant place to visit. The temperature was warm, the trees surrounding the mountain were all beautifully green and filled with various fruits, and the beaches were a sparkling white. The only thing that made MK feel slightly uneasy was this strange sensation of being watched that followed him across the island.

“Uh, Mei?” MK said.

“Yeah?” Mei said.

“Are we the only ones on the island?” MK asked.

“Yeah, we are. Well, sort of,” Mei said.

“Sort of?” MK said.

“There’s a pretty big family of monkeys that live on the island,” Mei explained.

“Monkey? Like Sun?” MK asked.

“No, they’re a lot smaller. And they don’t talk. Or, at least they don’t talk to us. I think Sun might be able to understand them, but he refuses to confirm this for me,” Mei said grumpily.

“So, uh, are they the reason I feel like we’re being watched?” MK asked.

“Probably. They’re probably curious because you’re new. Don’t worry. Once they decide you’re not dangerous, they’ll be all over you,” Mei said with a laugh.

They continued down the beach, stopping occasionally to chuck interesting pieces of driftwood into the ocean. Finally, they stopped at an outcropping of rocks that extended out into the ocean. They sat down for a moment, watching the dark orange sun as it dipped into the ocean.

“Hey, Mei?” MK asked.

“Yeah?” Mei said.

“Do you know what it is that Sun wants?” MK asked.

“What do you mean?” Mei asked, slightly tilting her head to the side.

“It’s just… that heist we did. It just felt like something that he’d been planning on for a really long time. I mean, I know you guys were planning on it before I came along. But that map is ancient right? Most pirates go after any old merchant ship they come across, not ancient maps that are locked away in fortresses. I guess, what I’m saying is, it feels like he’s after something bigger, you know?” MK said.

“Well… you’re right. Most pirates don’t do that. Sailing with Sun’s always been special like that,” Mei said, “But I do think you’re right. I just wish I could explain it to you.”

“So, you don’t know either?” MK asked.

“Nope. And I really don’t know how to ask either. I haven’t been with the crew very long, only a few years. Sandy and Pigsy, I think they’ve been with Sun since the start and even Tang was with them before I joined,” Mei explained.

“Shoot. And asking Sun for any sort of answer is…” MK said.

“Difficult?” Mei finished.

“Yeah,” MK sighed.

“Or you could try asking someone else,” Sandy said.

MK and Mei spun around to Sandy standing sheepishly behind them on the beach.

“Pigsy sent me to come get you two for dinner,” Sandy explained.

“Oh, uh, we’ll be right there,” MK said.

“Wait,” Mei said, “Sandy do you know what Sun’s looking for?”

“Of course, you said it yourself. I’ve been with him since the beginning,” Sandy said.

“Wha… how long were you standing there?” MK asked.

“Not long, but sound really carries down the beach,” Sandy explained.

“Oh, whoops,” MK said.

“So, Sun’s goal?” Mei reminded them.

“Right,” Sandy said with a sigh, “Now, I don’t want to say too much. I’m sure that there’s a reason he hasn’t filled you two in yet and you’ll have to trust that he’ll give you all the details when the time’s right.”

“Of course,” MK said.

“We know that,” Mei agreed.

“So, Sun, Pigsy and I, we were all in a pirate crew together along with a few others. We were proper terrors back then. We attacked any ship we came across, merchants and navy alike. It didn’t matter if we needed the supplies or not, we just enjoyed the thrill I guess and we felt unstoppable,” Sandy said.

“That’s… a little hard to imagine,” Mei said, “Well, not for Sun, I guess. But you and Pigsy too?”

“Me and Pigsy too,” Sandy said with a chuckle, “But then we were finally caught. Captured with no way out and the only question left was whether we were getting life imprisonment or the gallows and, honestly, we were expecting the gallows.”

“No!” MK said, his eyes wide, “what happened?”

“Someone saved us. They needed our help and if we helped them, we’d get our slates wiped clean. A real second chance,” Sandy said.

“They must have been pretty important to offer something like that,” Mei said.

“They were,” Sandy said, “And most of the crew took the deal.”

“So, what happened?” MK asked, “I mean… you’re still pirates so…”

“Yes,” Sandy said, “It went wrong. Right when we were about to succeed, we were betrayed and we ended up loosing something very important. We were all imprisoned all over again for our failure, included the man who had offered us the second chance in the first place.”

“That’s terrible,” Mei said.

“But Sun refused to accept defeat. He broke us all out of jail and swore he would find what we lost. Set things right,” Sandy said.

“What about the guy who offered you that second chance? What happened to them?” MK asked.

“Still in prison,” Sandy said sadly, “Sun tried to break him out too, but he refused to leave. He said he wanted to pay his penance.”

“But what if they send him to the gallows?” Mei asked.

“I don’t think he’s in danger of that,” Sandy reassured them, “He has his own connections. But still, prison is no place for a man like him.”

“Finding this, whatever it is, will it set him free too?” MK asked.

“Sun believes so, and it’s the only plan we have,” Sandy admitted.

“Well…guess we better find it then,” MK said.

“You’re okay with it then? Helping us with this?” Sandy asked.

“Of course, why wouldn’t we be?” Mei asked.

“I mean it’s our problem, not yours,” Sandy said.

“Yeah, but we’re a crew, right?” MK said.

“We help each other out, even with personal problems,” Mei asked.

“Now, come on. If we don’t hurry there won’t be any dinner left,” MK said.


	13. The Destination

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tang reveals the destination of The Flowering Fruit.

“Keep your sword up. You want to make sure that your grip is firm enough that your sword won’t be knocked out of your hand but keep arm flexible enough to parry your opponent’s attacks,” Sun instructed.

“Yes captain!” MK panted.

MK braced himself, his knees bent and his sword held out in front of him. He watched as Sun bent his knees as well and, in a blink of an eye, launched himself at MK. MK felt the sweat rolling down the back of his neck as the noise of their crashing swords rang through out the waterfall cavern. Finally, MK gave a sharp yelp as Sun’s sword connected with his side.

“Not bad,” Sun said as he stepped backwards, “You lasted a little longer that time.”

“I did?” MK asked.

“Yeah, you’re definitely improving kid,” Sun said, “Let’s take a break.”

MK collapsed to the ground with sigh of relief. He began rubbing his hands that had gone numb from the sheer shock of their colliding blades.

“Don’t worry,” Sun said as he sat down beside him, “As your hands get stronger that won’t happen so much.”

“That’s good to hear,” MK sighed, “Hey, captain, can I ask you a question?”

“I thought we were past you calling me captain,” Sun mumbled.

“What?” MK asked.

“Nothing, what’s on you mind?” Sun asked.

“I was just wondering how long we’re going to be staying here?” MK asked.

“What, paradise getting boring already?” Sun teased.

“What? No! This place is amazing! It’s just, it’s been three days already. I was just wondering how much longer Tang is going to be doing…whatever he’s doing,” MK said.

“Oh, yeah, it is a little hard to understand Tang’s process, I guess. But he is doing a lot of work, I promise,” Sun said with a chuckle.

“What kind of work?” MK asked.

“Well, the thing we’re looking for, most people won’t even acknowledge it’s real. The same goes for the place it’s supposed to be located. So, Tang has to go through a lot old manuscripts and then cross reference them to get even get an idea of where to find it,” Sun explained.

“Wait, ‘to even get an idea of where to find it?’ You mean after all that work Tang still might lead us in the wrong direction?” MK asked.

“That’s right. It’s actually extremely likely he’ll lead us in the wrong direction. He’s done it many times before,” Sun said.

“So why do you keep following his directions?” MK asked.

“Well, there aren’t many navigators that are even interested in looking for places that aren’t supposed to exist. But, more importantly, he’s a loyal member of my crew. I’d rather follow his direction then anyone else’s,” Sun explained.

“I guess that makes sense,” MK said.

“It’s alright if you don’t understand right now,” Sun said, “You will with time.”

“Hey you two,” Sandy said as he walked towards them, carrying a tray, “I brought some refreshments.”

“Thanks Sandy,” MK said as he took a drink from the tray.

“And when you’re finished, Tang said he wants to show you something,” Sandy said.

“Well, speak of the devil,” Sun said as he downed his drink in a single gulp, “Come on kid, now I can show you what Tang’s job really is.”

Sun gave a light rap on the door frame before opening the door to Tang’s room. As he opened the door MK could see what looked like a larger version of the navigation room on The Flowing Fruit. There were still a large volume of papers and books crammed into every available space, but the sheer volume of them had to be at least twice the amount that were on the ship. In the center of all this, standing behind a large desk, was Tang.

“Hey Tang,” Sun said, “You said you had something to show me?”

“Yeah, I think I’ve got it this time,” Tang said, “look here.”

Tang gestured to the table top where the stolen painting was spread out. The painting seemed to be of a large island, covered with lush plant life and a large mountain in the center.

“So, is this the location of the thing we’re looking for?” MK asked.

“That’s the one,” Sun said.

“Well, it’s a nice painting, but it doesn’t look much like a map,” MK said.

“I suppose it doesn’t,” Tang chuckled, “That’s because the it’s more of a clue then a map.”

“A clue?” MK asked.

“Yes, down here,” Tang said gesturing down to the bottom of the painting.

MK looked closely at the bottom of the paining and saw what looked like a series of four groups of dots. The first group was a triangular group of dots with an oval in the center. The second group was two dots side by side with an oval to the left of them. The third group was a circle of five dots with an oval in the center. The fourth and final group two dots, diagonal from each other, with an oval in between them.

“Uh, interesting, dots,” MK said.

“They don’t remind you of anything?” Tang said.

“Uhhhh…” MK said.

“Tang, he hasn’t even been with us a month. Of course, this doesn’t remind him of anything,” Sun said.

“Oh, right, I forgot,” Tang said, “Let me show you.”

Tang quickly pulled out a series of maps from his collection. The first map was a triangle of islands, the second two islands side by side, the third a circle of islands and lastly, a map with two islands located diagonally from each other.

“These… look like the dots. Sort of,” MK said, “But, something is missing… wait where’s the oval thing?”

“Well,” Tang said, “What if I told you that these are all of the locations we’ve searched for the island in the past?”

“What? Seriously?” MK said, “But wait, why would the clue mention all four locations? There’s only one island, right?”

“Well, I think this only leads to one conclusion, right Tang?” Sun said, a smirk on his face.

“That’s correct,” Tang said as he adjusted his glasses, “I was never incorrect about the location of the island, we just got there too late.”

“Oh, welcome back sir,” Red Son’s first mate said as he entered the cabin, “How did your meeting with the Lord of the Fortress go?”

“About as well as I expected,” Red Son sighed, “How are the repairs going?”

“We got priority orders from harbor master. Repairs should be completed in the next three days,” the first mate replied.

“Good, because it looks like we have a long journey ahead of us,” Red said.

“What do you mean, sir?” the first mate asked.

“Once he finally got around to the point,” Red Son sighed, “the Lord of the Fortress informed me that the painting that was stolen featured the mythical floating island, Fú dǎo.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone cares to translate, Fú dǎo literally just translates to 'floating island.' This is because, while floating islands do exist in Chinese mythology, I couldn't find many references to them, so I wasn't sure if they'd suit my needs for this story. If anyone has some suggestions for the name of the island, I'd be glad to hear them.


	14. The Landing Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crew of the Flowering Fruit lands on the Floating Island.

“Are you sure about this?” MK asked as he held Sun’s coat.

“Of course,” Sun said, “There’s no better teacher then experience. Besides, all we’re looking to do is get you some experience leading the crew. What are the we’ll get surprised by navy for a second time.”

“That sounded like a jinx,” MK sighed as he put on the coat.

“Hey, looking good,” Mei said as Sun and MK came out on deck.

“Thanks, but it still doesn’t feel quite right,” MK said.

“You’ll grow into it,” Pigsy said.

“Thanks Pigsy,” MK said, “How close are we?”

“We’re here,” Tang said, “Land ho!”

The crew gathered at the edge of the ship and looked out onto the water. Two smaller islands stood to their right and left. In between them was a massive third island, covered in lush vegetation.

“So, the last time you guys were here, that big island wasn’t here?” MK asked.

“No, it wasn’t,” Sun said.

“So, what’s the plan?” MK asked.

There was a moment of silence before MK realized that everyone was staring at him.

“Oh…right…I’m the captain,” MK said, “Tang, do we know anything else about the island?”

“Only that the treasure is located on a temple somewhere on the island. And from experience, that temple is probably filled with traps,” Tang said.

“Alright, Tang, go up to the crows’ nest and find us a place to land,” MK ordered.

“Aye, aye captain,” Tang said.

“Sir, are you sure about this location?” the first mate asked.

“No,” Red Son replied, “unfortunately, none of the ancient texts had any specifics on the island’s location. But I cross referenced all of the reported sightings of the Flowering Fruit alongside the all the stories of the island. This is the site that matches the both and is closest to Flower Fruit Mountain. It’s our best shot.”

“A shot that seems to have paid off sir,” the first mate said, “sail spotted sir!”

Red Son followed the first mate’s pointing finger and spotted the familiar sail of the Flowering Fruit.

“Plot an interception course,” Red Son ordered, “and be ready to fire as soon as we’re in range!”

“Captain!” Tang called out, “It’s small, but I have eyes on a beach.”

“Good! Sandy, prepare to drop anchor!” MK said, “Ca…Sun… who on the crew has the most experience with… booby traps?”

“Our usual crew is me, Sandy and Pigsy,” Sun said, “and I will be staying here.”

“What? Why?” MK asked.

“You’re supposed to be gaining experience leading the crew kid,” Sun explained, “You won’t be gaining that experience if I’m there.”

“Alright,” MK said, “and I prefer Sandy stay here in case we need to make a fast get away…so I’d like Pigsy and Mei to join me. Does that sound alright?”

“You’re the captain kid,” Sun said, giving MK a small salute with his tail.

“Right,” MK said, “Pigsy! Mei! Grab whatever supplies you need and join me in the life boat.”

“Aye, aye!” Pigsy and Mei chorused.

“Captain!” Tang yelled, “Enemy ship spotted!”

MK turned and spotted Red Son’s ship bearing down on them.

“No…” MK groaned.

“Kid…I think you’d better switch with me,” Sun said, “we’ll find the island again.”

“No,” MK said.

“Kid?” Sun asked.

“We have no guarantee we’ll be able to catch the island again. We can’t lose this chance. We’ll dock as planned and then you and Sandy hold them off. Or even better, chase them off. If that’s possible?” MK asked.

Sun looked back to Sandy who gave him a knowing nod.

“Aye that might be possible,” Sun said.

“Good, then let’s go,” MK said.

“Sir, they’re within range. Permission to fire?” the first mate asked.

“Hold,” Red Son said as he held his telescope to his eye.

“Sir?” the first mate asked.

“A landing party,” Red Son said, “Looks like they’re trying to draw our attention away from the landing party using their own ship. A daring move to be sure.”

“Your orders sir?” the first mate asked.

“I’m going after the landing party. You! With me!” Red Son said as he pointed out one of his soldiers, “First mate, don’t let that ship out of your sights.”

Just as they had finished pulling the boat onto the sand MK heard an all too familiar voice call out to him.

“Monkey King! Hold in the name of his Majesty, the Jade Emperor!” Red Son yelled.

“Hold what?” MK yelled back, “Because I’d gladly hold you if that’s what you want!”

“Gah! Land immediately!” Red Son yelled at the soldier manning the oars.

“Let’s go!” MK yelled to Pigsy and Mei.

As MK and his crew raced for the jungle, Red Son scrambled onto the beach while his soldier began pulling the rowboat onto the beach. Just then, the boom of a cannon firing echoed through the air and the jungle to the right of the beach exploded. A bellow reverberated through the air and a massive structure rose into the air above them. The structure then slammed down into the water, and the island surged forward. MK, Pigsy and Mei were thrown forward into the jungle. MK raised his head to see Red Son thrown forward onto the beach while his soldier and rowboat were tossed back into the ocean.

“Well…this…isn’t good,” MK said.


	15. The Offer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MK has a choice to make when he finds the unconscious Red Son on the beach

MK groaned as he rose to his knees, shaking his ringing head back and forth. He struggled to remember what had happened, his memories still fuzzy. Then he remembered. The explosion in the jungle. The strange structure that had suddenly propelled the island forward. MK rose to his feet and scanned the surrounding jungle, quickly spotting Pigsy and Mei in the brush.

“Hey! Are you both alright?” MK asked as he gave them each a light shake.

“I’m fine, pah, pah,” Mei said as she spat out a few leaves, “just sampling the local fauna.”

“I’ve had worse,” Pigsy said as he bent backwards until his back let out a distinct popping sound.

“Come on,” MK laughed, “According to our debris trail, the beach is this way.”

It took a few minutes of walking but the three of them made their way back to the beach. MK let out a small gasp of wonder at the sight. The island was still moving, leaving an enormous wake behind it that towered above them, sparkling in the midday sun.

“This is…” Pigsy started slowly.

“AMAZING!” Mei finished.

“That’s not even close to what I was about to say,” Pigsy said.

“Oh, come on, even you have to admit this is seriously cool, right MK?” Mei said.

“It is cool but there is one thing worrying me,” MK replied.

“What’s that?” Mei asked.

“Well, can either of you see the ship?” MK asked.

Mei and Pigsy were silent for a moment as they stared at the wall of water in front of them.

“I can’t see much of anything besides this wave,” Mei said.

“But considering how fast we’re going,” Pigsy said, “It’s probably safe to say we’ve left them in the dust.”

“That’s exactly what I was thinking,” MK said, tightening his grip on his sword hilt.

“Hey, I’m sure it’s fine,” Mei said, “They’re probably just following alone behind us. They’ll catch up when the island slows down.”

“Right, right,” MK said as he gave his head a quick shake, “We just continue as planned and then wait it out.”

Any reply from Mei or Pisgy was interrupted by a low groan. The three of the jumped slightly and immediately began scanning the beach. MK’s eyes quickly found and focused on bright blue point a short way away. He ran towards it, barely registering Mei and Pigsy’s footsteps behind him. As he got closer, he recognized the figure laying in the sand. It was the still unconscious Red Son.

“Oh great,” Pigsy grumbled, “Just what we need.”

“What should we do with him?” Mei asked, “Just so you know, my vote is we tie him to a tree or something and leave him.”

“What? No! That’s way too dangerous,” MK said.

“We can always come back for him later,” Mei said.

“And what if a wild animal finds him first or something?! We don’t know the first thing about what’s on this island,” MK said.

“Then what do you suggest, captain?” Pigsy said.

MK paused for a moment, absentmindedly scratching the back of his neck. Then he turned back to Red Son. With a quick movement he rolled him over and then removed his sword and pistol from his belt.

“Here,” MK said, handing them both to Mei.

Mei took them, a slightly puzzled expression on her face. Then MK drew his own sword with one hand and rested the back of the blade against his shoulder. With his other hand he gave Red Son a quick shake. Red Son groaned again and then slowly opened his eyes. He blinked a few times and then slowly pushed himself to a sitting position, his eyes clamped shut against the bright sunlight.

“Morning beautiful,” MK said.

Red Son startled and whipped his head around. Spotting the three of them he back petalled and searched his belt, his face turning pale when he didn’t find his weapons.

“Looking for something?” MK asked, gesturing to Mei.

Red Son’s face paled even further before hardening a piercing glare.

“Well?” Red Son asked.

“Well, what?” MK asked.

“You have me at your mercy,” Red Son said, “are you going to make it fast or do you intend to torture me first?”

“Ohhh…I’m going to go with neither,” MK said.

“…I don’t follow,” Red Son said.

“You see, I’ve decided you’re too useful to kill,” MK said.

“Lucky me,” Red Son said dryly, “If you think I’m going to help you with whatever your nefarious plan is…”

“Nefarious? I’m not robbing an orphanage here,” MK said, “And as I see it you only have two options.”

“Go on,” Red Son said.

“You see, we’re here to find something. And I’ve discovered that something is inside a temple filled with all sorts of traps and tricks. And you managed to track me down not once, but twice with what I imagine was very little information to work with,” MK explained.

“Perhaps,” Red Son said.

“So, your choices are this. First, you use that stunning mind of yours to help us get the item and afterwards we return you to your ship unharmed,” MK said.

“And the second?” Red Son asked.

“We tie you to a tree and you hope we get back to you before whatever else lives on this island does,” MK said with a shrug.

“That’s hardly a choice,” Red Son said, “Fine. I’ll help you get what you’re after.”

“Good,” MK said brightly, “Pigsy, tie his hands in front of him. Can I assume you can handle him from here?”

“Yeah,” Pigsy said as he pulled the rope from his pack, “One Navy brat shouldn’t be a problem.”


	16. The Path

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crew discover the pathway to the temple

“Any idea how much further?” Mei asked.

“No,” MK whispered, “All I have to go on is an old painting. And it didn’t even depict the temple.”

“So, what’s the plan?” Mei asked.

“We’re heading for the highest point of the island. If we’re lucky, the temple will be there. Or at the very least we’ll be hopefully be able to see it,” MK said.

“That’s a solid plan,” Mei said, “But I wish it didn’t involve so much hiking.”

“How are you so out of breath?” MK asked, “We were running all over the place back in the port.”

“That wasn’t up hill,” Mei complained.

“Excuse me,” Red Son called out, “If I’m not interrupting, I think I found something.”

MK and Mei turned back towards Pigsy and Red Son. Red Son gestured towards toward the jungle on their left. MK peered through the jungle leaves and spotted what appeared to an arch made of stone, covered in overgrown vines.

“Huh, that does look promising. Let’s take a proper look,” MK said.

MK drew his sword and used it to hack away at the vegetation that blocked their way. As they drew closer, they realized that it wasn’t just an archway, it was an entire stone path leading deeper into the jungle with statues lining the sides of the path.

“Are those statues of…skulls?” Red Son asked.

“Maybe,” Mei said, “They’re pretty broken down.”

“But doesn’t that mean this will be dangerous? Maybe even deadly?” Red Son asked, “What could you possibly be after that is worth risking your life?”

“Good question,” MK said, “But finding out will be half the fun.”

“Does he mean that he doesn’t know what he’s after? Or that he just doesn’t want to tell me?” Red Son asked.

“Good question,” Pigsy said before he turned and walked towards the path.

Red Son groaned as he tugged at the ropes on around his wrists. He supposed he should be glad they hadn’t tied them so tight that cut off his circulation, but they were still uncomfortable. At least it looked like they were getting closer to their goal, if the path was any indication. Still, those statues were strangely unnerving. Why would they use them to mark an ordinary stone path? Unless…

“WAIT!” Red Son yelled.

MK reacted just in time, yanking Mei backwards as a dart wizzed out of the mouth of one of skull statues.

“Booby trapped. I guess this couldn’t be easy,” MK said, “Nice catch, gorgeous.”

Red Son felt the heat rising to his cheeks and turned away.

“There must certain stones that act trigger for the traps,” Red Son said.

MK bent down to exam the stones near where Mei had stepped. Finding a raised stone, he gently pressed down on it and was rewarded with another whizzing dart from the statues mouth. Straightening, MK drew his sword and lowered it until the tip tapped up against the edge of the raised stone.

“Alright, follow me exactly and we’ll be alright,” MK said as he started forward, swinging his sword from side to side against the ground.

Mei followed next, followed by Red Son and then Pigsy. Red Son couldn’t help but feel slightly impressed, it was a simple solution but an effective one. They slowly made their way down the path until the path began to widen. Before them was a large stone door, built into what looked to be a cliff side.

“I guess that explains why the temple wasn’t depicted in the painting,” MK said, “It looks like it was built into already existing cave, or even a tunnel system.”

Red Son felt a knot of worry growing in his stomach. First the booby trapped pathway and now a temple so well hidden that if they hadn’t stumbled upon the pathway they might have spent days searching for it. What could these pirates be after that required such elaborate safeguards? Red Son turned to as he heard a light tapping sound and saw that the Monkey King seemed to investigating the door with his sword.

“Here!” Mei called out.

They all drew closer and saw the Mei had found a small strangely shaped hole in the stone door.

“Is that…?” Red Son asked.

“A keyhole! I think,” Mei said.

“But we don’t have a key,” Red Son said.

“Our CAPTAIN is always prepared,” Pigsy said.

“R-right,” the Monkey King said as he began patting his pockets.

After a moment of searching the Monkey King drew a small, ornate box out of his pocket. Red Son’s stomach sank as he recognized the symbol as the emblem of the Jade Emperor. There was little doubt in his mind that this was the stolen treasure he had been sent to retrieve in the first place. The Monkey King opened the box to reveal a large, pure white key with a carving of a skull on bow. The Monkey Kid slid the key into the key hole and slowly turned it. A low rumbling sound filled the clearing as the door split in two. The two halves pulled apart to reveal a dark tunnel leading further into the cliffside. The Monkey King grabbed the key and placed it back into the box.

“Shall we?” the Monkey King asked.


	17. The Puzzle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group must solve a puzzle within the temple

As they traveled into the temple, they found themselves forced into single file lines as the tunnels got narrower and narrower. Just as MK worried they might have to turn back, the tunnel finally exited into a large stone room. Scattered around the room were four stone blocks. Engraved into the floor was a large cross. On the far end of the room there was another massive stone door. MK walked over to the stone door and checked it over.

“No keyhole,” MK said, “Whatever we need to open the door must be in this room. Spread out and search.”

The five of them spread out and began examining the room.

“I think I found something!” Mei called out.

“What did you find?” MK asked.

“Look at this,” Mei said as she gestured towards the ground.

MK walked over to Mei and examined the ground where she was standing. There was a distinct indent in the ground, roughly in the shape of a square.

“Hmmm, let’s see if there’s anymore of these,” MK said.

Sure enough there were three more indents in the ground.

“I’m guessing these are some sort of pressure plates. If we move the stone blocks onto them, the door should open,” MK said.

“Nice. Come on kid, let’s put our backs into it,” Pigsy said as he dragged Red Son behind him.

Red Son and Pigsy began pushing the stone cube towards the nearest indent until it slid into place with a click. MK’s stomach sank as he heard a loud hissing noise fill the chamber.

“What was that?” MK asked.

MK and Mei turned around to find that several holes had opened up along the edge of the floor. Emerging from the holes were several large, rather angry looking snakes.

“Move it back! Move it back!” MK yelled as he drew his sword.

MK and Mei waved their swords at the snakes, driving them back towards the holes as Pigsy and Red Son frantically pushed the box off of the pressure plate. Finally, the pressure plate clicked back into place and the holes were closed.

“I think that maybe the boxes have to go in specific holes,” Red Son panted.

“That’s a good idea but how do we tell which box goes in which hole?” MK mused.

“Maybe check the boxes? See if there’s some way to tell them apart?” Red Son suggested.

“Hey! There’s a carving on the top!” Mei said from her perch on top of one of the boxes.

“Mei, when did you climb up there?” MK asked.

“That’s not important. What is important is that there’s a rabbit carved on this box,” Mei said.

“Can you see the others?” MK asked.

“Yeah, it looks like there’s a rat, horse and rooster,” Mei said.

“Ok, we need to think about this for a moment,” MK said as leaned up against one of the boxes.

Pigsy sat down on the floor, dragging Red Son down with him. Mei started pacing in a circle around the edge of the room. Red Son watched for a moment before speaking up.

“Hey Monkey King,” Red Son said.

“Hm? Oh, yeah?” MK said.

“I know you said you don’t know what exactly this temple contains, but is there anything you do know about it?” Red Son asked.

“A little, why?” MK asked.

“Traditionally speaking, these puzzles are usually some sort of reference to the treasure waiting at the end,” Red Son said.

“Hm, well let’s see. It’s supposed be something that ‘lead the way’ or something like that,” MK said.

“When did you find that out?” Mei whispered as she passed by MK.

“Sun gave me a briefing before we left,” MK whispered back.

“Lead the way…like giving directions?” Red Son asked.

“I guess that’s one way to put it,” MK said.

“In Feng Shui, the four cardinal directions are represented by four animals,” Mei said.

“They wouldn’t happen to be a rabbit, horse, rat and rooster, would they?” MK said.

“East, South, North and West, respectively,” Red Son said.

“So, if we arrange the animals on their respective cardinal points,” MK said as he fumbled with his pockets until he pulled out a compass, “Alright, Mei, which one has the rabbit?”

Slowly, and painstakingly, the four of the them slid the boxes into their respectively holes. With the last satisfying click, the last box slid into place. Then a low rumbling noise filled the room.

“Did we do it wrong?” Pigsy asked.

“No, and I don’t think this is a bad thing,” MK said.

Slowly, as the ancient gears hidden within the walls struggled to turn, the door began to rise. But the door stopped halfway open.

“The mechanism must be partially broken. It’s alright though, we can still get through,” MK said.

Ducking under the door, MK lead the way further into the temple.


	18. Betrayal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group reaches the final room where the treasure awaits

Pigsy trudged along the narrow tunnel while keeping a tight grip on the rope that was attached to the navy boy. He didn’t really understand why MK had insisted on bringing him with. Sure, he’d been marginally helpful navigating the temple’s traps, but it wasn’t anything they wouldn’t have eventually figured out on their own. Even tied up like this he trusted the kid about as far as he could throw him. Which, now that he thought about it, was actually probably pretty far. The kid was as thin as a rake and looked like he could use a few good meals. Weren’t most navy captains some sort of nobility? Why wasn’t this kid eating right? Pigsy snapped back to attention as he felt a slight tugging on the rope.

“Hey,” Pigsy growled, “What are you doing back there?”

“Sorry, these ropes are just a bit itchy,” Red Son said.

Pigsy only grunted in reply. The light this far in the temple was too dim to see much and the tunnel was too narrow to turn around properly. He’d have to wait until the next room to check the knots.

Pigsy’s wish was soon granted as the hallway opened up into another room, but his plan was forgotten as he saw what was in it. On a pedestal in the center of the room was the treasure of the temple, a small red box that was inlaid with what appeared to be gold. MK walked up to pedestal and put some pressure on it, stepping back quickly as it shifted and sunk slightly into the floor.

“It’s weight sensitive, just like all the puzzles from before,” MK said.

“Think we can trick it?” Mei asked.

“That’s probably our best bet. Look around and see if you can find a good- sized rock,” MK said.

As the two of them started scouring the room, Pigsy’s eyes were locked on the box. They were so close. So close to everything they had been working towards for the past few years.

“I got one!” Mei yelled.

MK hurried over to Mei and they huddled together for a moment before MK walked back up to the pedestal. MK rocked back and forth on his toes for a moment before, with one deft movement, he snatched the box off of the pedestal and replaced it with a small slab of rock. MK raised his arms in a victory pose while Mei cheered. Pigsy was stunned, tears of relief welling up in his eyes and his free hand over his mouth. He was so overjoyed he didn’t feel the rope go slack. But he did feel two hands roughly shove him forward. He did feel those same hands pull him backwards and then hold his own sword to his throat.

“No one move,” Red Son said.

“You,” Pigsy growled.

“I really didn’t expect a group of pirates to be so soft,” Red Son said, “You should have tied those ropes tighter.”

“What do you want?” MK asked.

“The Skeleton Key for starters. And why don’t you throw that box over here for good measure,” Red Son ordered.

“No!” Pigsy cried.

“Pigsy, it’s going to be fine,” MK reassured him.

Slowly, MK took the skeleton key out of his pocket, put it on the floor, and then lightly kicked it across the floor where it stopped at Red Son’s feet. He then did the same with the red box.

“Well, I’d like to say this has been fun, but I don’t like to make a habit of lying,” Red Son said.

With a massive kick to Pigsy’s rear, Red Son sent Pigsy flying into the base of the pedestal. Then, with one swift movement, Red Son scooped up the two boxes and ran for the exit, quickly disappearing into the dimly lit hallways.

“Take care of Pigsy!” MK yelled.

“I’ve got him, go!” Mei replied.

As MK rushed after Red Son, Pigsy felt Mei lift him into a sitting position.

“I’m sorry kid, I shouldn’t have let my guard down,” Pigsy said, wincing as he felt the rising bump on his forehead.

“It’s okay, I think we all let our guard down with him,” Mei said, “Now don’t move around so much. You might have a concussion.”

Both Pigsy and Mei startled as the heard an odd grinding sound from behind them. They turned to see the pedestal sinking slowly into the ground. Then they looked down to see the stone, knocked from the pedestal by Pigsy’s collision, laying on the ground.

“Or maybe we should run?” Mei suggested.

“Good idea kid,” Pigsy said.

Mei quickly hauled Pigsy to his feet and they headed into the hallway. As they squeezed their way through a low, bellowing noise filled the air around them and the entire temple began to shake.


	19. Rising Waters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mei and Pigsy realize that it's not just the temple that's sinking

Mei and Pigsy raced through the hallways of the temple, the shaking only growing more intense as the raced for the exit. Mei gave out a yelp of surprise as she felt Pigsy’s hand grab the back of her shirt and yank her backwards. She was about to yell out a few choice expletives but then a large boulder fell where she had been standing and she quickly decided against it.

“Thanks,” Mei said.

“No problem kid,” Pigsy said as he helped her to her feet.

“What’s happening? Is the whole temple coming down?” Mei yelled as they continued forward.

“Probably. Or worse,” Pigsy yelled back.

Mei didn’t want to think about what Pigsy meant as they ducked under the half- opened door and raced through the puzzle room. Finally, they spotted the gleaming shaft of sunlight that marked the exit. They rushed outside and Pigsy let out the string to expletives that Mei had previously held back.

“What is it?” Mei asked.

“Can’t you feel it?” Pigsy asked.

Mei stopped for a moment and then she felt her stomach drop.

“I can still feel the tremors,” Mei said.

“Yes,” Pigsy said.

“It wasn’t just the temple shaking,” Mei said.

“Nope,” Pigsy said.

“Pigsy the ground is shaking. WHY IS THE GROUND SHAKING?!” Mei yelled.

“Stop panicking! I mean it’s bad, but stop panicking,” Pigsy said.

“But what do we do!?” Mei asked.

“First we find MK,” Pigsy said as he headed into the jungle, “And then we hope the Sandy was able to keep up with us.”

Mei and Pigsy raced through the jungle, following the trail of broken branches and trampled fauna that was obviously created by two idiots racing headfirst through a jungle. Panting and covered in sweat, they burst out to the jungle and stopped dead in their tracks. MK and Red Son were in front of them, trading blows with increasing vigor. But that wasn’t the strange part. What was strange was they were fighting in a at least a good inch of water.

“Pigsy?” Mei said.

“Yeah?” Pigsy said.

“Wasn’t there a beach here earlier?” Mei asked.

“I do remember a beach,” Pigsys said.

“So, these tremors mean…,” Mei said.

“The island is sinking,” Pigsy sighed, “Or diving might be more accurate.”

“Now what?” Mei asked.

“You break those two up, I’ll go find the rowboat,” Pigsy said as he stomped off.

Mei looked back at MK and Red Son. She could tell they were both getting tired but they weren’t showing any sign of slowing down. Honestly, she wondered if they had even noticed the rising water. Well, maybe a shock would snap them out of in. Mei rushed forward, her blade drawn, leapt into the air, and brought her blade down between them. MK and both leapt backwards, slightly resembling two startled cats.

“Mei…?” MK panted, “What are you doing?”

“Sorry for interrupting,” Mei said as she rested her blade on her shoulder, “But I thought you might want to know, the island is sinking.”

MK and Red Son looked down, both looking slightly dazed, and stared at the water lapping at their boots.

“So,” Mei said as she turned her blade to Red Son, “How about you give up what you took and maybe we don’t leave you here to drown?”

Red Son stood for a moment, a bruise already forming around his right eye and his lip split and bleeding. He opened his mouth to answer but was interrupted by the crack of gunfire. Mei yelped in pain as the bullet scraped against her shoulder. The three of them spun and saw the red sails of Red Son’s ship and the Flowering Fruit racing towards them. However, the navy had launched a rowboat to retrieve their captain and their guns were aimed at them.

“Hey!” Pigsy yelled.

Mei and MK turned to see Pigsy had found their rowboat and was waving them over.

“Run for it!” MK yelled as he started racing for the boat, dragging Mei behind them.

Mei turned one last time to look behind them as the bullets whizzed past them. Red Son stood in the water staring at their retreating forms, the water just beginning to soak the trim of his jacket. Then he turned his back to them and started trudging towards the rowboat. Mei was shaking as Pigsy hauled her into the rowboat and started rowing for the Flowering Fruit. As they drew further away the shots died out.

“Are you alright?” MK asked.

“I think so,” Mei said as she twisted her neck to try and get a look at her wound, “I think they just grazed me.”

“I’m so sorry… I should’ve…” MK stammered.

“What are you apologizing for?” Mei asked.

“But…you got hurt…”MK said.

“So? It happens all the time,” Mei said.

“But…I’m your captain…” MK said.

“Pfft, that doesn’t mean you can stop me from getting hurt. Or anyone else on the crew. Your job is to keep the injuries to a minimum and considering we just went through literal death traps, I think you did pretty well. Right, Pigsy?” Mei said.

“Yeah, not bad for your first time,” Pigsy said.

Mei never felt so relieved as Sandy hauled all three of them back on the Flowering Fruit and then raced back to the wheel to steer them away from the Navy. She and MK laid on their backs, breathing heavily.

“You two look like you had fun,” Sun said as he leaned over them.

“Something like that,” Mei said.

“Well, glad to see you all made it back it back in one piece. Let’s get a move on before they decide to fire,” Sun said.

“They probably won’t bother,” Pigsy grumbled, “they got the prize, coming after us would just be a waste of energy.”

“They got the treasure?” Sun asked and Mei winced, hearing the strain in his voice.

“Not exactly,” MK said.

Mei sat up and turned her head to MK.

“Uh, MK? You threw him the skeleton key and the box,” Mei said.

“Yeah, and he got the skeleton key. And the box. But he doesn’t have what was in the box,” MK said as reached into his pocket and rummaged around for a moment before pulling out what appeared to be a golden compact, “I grabbed it while I was fighting with Red Son. I was a pickpocket before I was pirate, remember?”

Gingerly, Sun took the compact from MK and opened it. Inside was a think needle, spinning wildly around on an axis.

“It’s… a compass?” Mei said.

“Looks that way,” Sun said.

“It’s acting kinda weird though,” Pigsy said.

“Well, it wouldn’t be a magic treasure if it behaved like a regular compass,” Sun said as he leaned down and touched MK’s shoulder, “Thank you kid. This means more then you could possibly know.”

“You’re welcome, but if it’s cool with you guys, I’m just going to lay here for a bit,” MK said.

“Same,” Mei said with a groan.

“Take as long as you want,” Sun chuckled.

Red Son shouted in frustration as he threw the box up against the wall of his cabin and immediately winced and placed his hand over the bruise that was forming on his shoulder. It was empty. The box that they had gone through all of that trouble to get was empty. What had happened? Was the treasure a fake? Had they missed something in the room? Or had someone been there before, taken it first. Or…had…no it couldn’t be. No one could pickpocket a box that was inside someone’s pocket. Not even the Monkey King.

Red Son sighed and took the other box out of his pocket. He flipped it open and stared at the thin, white key that rested there. At least he had accomplished the main goal his father had set out for him. Perhaps that would be enough to satisfy him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late upload! I've been sick the past few days but I'm feeling better now


	20. A New Town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new town, and new meetings. Sort of.

Red Son sat, one hand against his throbbing temple. It was still three days until they reached port and his patience was running thin. Part of him was terrified of his coming meeting with his father but at the same time the wait was killing him. His mood wasn’t improved when his first mate barged into his cabin.

“What?” Red Son snapped.

“Sir, it’s your father’s ship,” the first mate panted.

“What of it?” Red Son asked.

“It’s been spotted on the horizon. It will be along side us within the hour,” the first mate said.

Red Son froze. Here? His father was here? He’d sent the messenger bird just the day before, how could his father be here?

“Your orders sir?” the first mate asked.

“…clear the deck of as much debris as you can and make sure everyone is in uniform,” Red Son said.

Red Son stood at attention as his father’s ship, The Demon King, pulled along side them and the gangplank was secured. It took him a moment to realize he was holding his breath as his father’s hulking form stepped onto his ship.

“Father, welcome aboard,” Red Son said, “I wasn’t expecting to see you so soon.”

“Yes, it was lucky I was in route to meet Lord Shin when I received your message,” Demon Bull King said, “Now, let us move somewhere more private. We have business to discuss.”

Red Son’s heart was pounding as he closed his cabin door. When he turned around, he found that his father had already managed to squeeze himself behind his desk.

“So,” Demon Bull King said, “you managed to recover the skeleton key.”

“Yes, I did,” Red Son said.

“Show me,” Demon Bull King ordered.

Red Son reached in his pocket and pulled out the skeleton key’s box and placed it on the desk. Carefully, the Demon Bull King opened it and examined the key inside. Then he closed the box and placed it in his coat pocket.

“It’s the real thing. I am returning to the capital, so I’ll deliver it there myself,” Demon Bull King said.

“Of course,” Red Son said, “Shall I return home then?”

“No, I have different orders for you,” Demon Bull King said.

Demon Bull King must have seen the confusion on Red Son’s face because he gave a huff of annoyance.

“Word of your…encounters with the Monkey has reached the ears of the Jade Emperor. As you are the only officer of the Royal Navy to even come close to catching them, he has order that you be the one to continue the chase until they are brought to justice,” Demon Bull King explained.

“…I see,” Red Son said slowly.

“You don’t sound pleased,” Demon Bull King said.

“I am, I’m just surprised. I assumed such an important task would be given to a more experienced officer, such as yourself,” Red Son said.

“I have the entire navy to coordinate, I don’t have time for such a trifling task,” Demon Bull King said, “Now, your mother has insisted on giving you the house in Xiamen as your base. Do with it what you will.”

Red Son was silent as he watched his father return to his ship. As the Demon King pulled away, he turned back to his first mate.

“Do we have the supplies to make it to Xiamen?” Red Son asked.

“Just barely sir,” the first mate said.

“Then change course immediately,” Red Son as he turned back towards his cabin, a swirl of emotions raging inside his stomach.

“So where are we going?” MK asked.

“To Xiamen,” Tang said for the third time that evening.

“And we can’t go back to Flowering Fruit Mountain because…?” MK asked.

“Because I need access to the library in Xiamen,” Tang explained.

“What are you complaining about?” Mei asked, “The city will be fun.”

“No, it won’t,” MK said, “the entire time we’re there I’m going to be worried someone will try and arrest us.”

“You worry too much. I bet you’re going to have even more fun than the rest of us in Xiamen,” Mei said.

MK glowered at the sight of Xiamen as it grew larger on the horizon. How could everyone be so calm about this? True, no one had recognized them in the last city but they had barely been there a day. Tang said he was going to need to days in the library. Maybe over a week. What were they even going to do for a week?

MK was still glowering as Mei dragged him off the ship and into the streets of the city. But, despite his best efforts, he did find himself relaxing. There were dozens of people milling about in the early morning air and store fronts were just beginning to open. No one was screaming or pointing at them yet. Maybe things were going to be alright. MK lifted his head as he caught a whiff of freshly baked bread from across the street and started wandering towards it.

“MK!” Mei yelled.

MK turned his head to Mei and, at the same time, heard the sound of pounding hooves heading towards him. In an act of pure reflex, MK threw himself to the side as the carriage raced past. Dazed and slightly bruised, MK sat back up and was surprised to find that the carriage had stopped and someone had stepped out. Then someone was kneeling in front of him. A very familiar someone with a handsome face and lovely red hair.

“Are you alright?” Red Son asked.

MK said nothing as he felt his face burning. This…wasn’t good.


	21. Might be a Problem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red Son convinces MK to come with him to his estate

“Can you hear me?” Red Son asked.

Red Son felt the guilt rising up in his chest. He’d asked the carriage driver to make haste because he was exhausted after everything that had happened. He’d wanted nothing more then to reach his families estate and take some time to unwind but he hadn’t expected the driver to be in such a rush they’d nearly run someone over. He’d have to have a word with them later. And now this, he had to admit attractive, young man was simply staring up at him. No, now he was nodding, that was good that meant he understood him.

“I apologize for this, I don’t know what my driver was thinking,” Red Son said, “Are you hurt anywhere?”

“I…uh…I-I don’t think so?” the man said.

“Are you certain? You looked like you hit the ground rather hard,” Red Son said.

“Oh, um, I mean, I’ve h-had worse,” the man said.

“Then, please, accompany me to my estate. There’s a doctor there that can take care of your injuries,” Red Son offered.

“O-Oh, no, I’m f-fine,” the man said as he quickly waved his hands in front of him.

“Please, I insist. It’s the least I can do for almost running you over,” Red Son said as he extended a hand to the young man.

The young man was quiet for a moment, his eyes turned downwards. But then he reached out and grasped Red Son’s hand giving Red Son a moment to notice his strong grip and the calluses on his hand. He also had to admire his tousled brown hair and fine features.

“O-okay,” the man said.

“Good, may I ask the name of the man I almost ran over?” Red Son asked.

“I-it’s MK,” MK said.

“This makes no sense,” Tang said.

“Stumped already?” Pigsy asked.

“Just come and look,” Tang said.

Pigsy got up and wandered over to Tang, his eyebrow raised.

“Okay,” Tang said, “so if I hold the compass it does this.”

Tang placed the compass on his palm and waited a moment. The compass needle spun a few times before settling and pointing northeast.

“But if I hand it to someone else,” Tang said.

Tang gestured to Pigsy and Pigsy held out his hand. Tang placed the compass in Pigsy’s hand, and the needle started spinning once more. But this time, when the needle stopped spinning, it was pointed southwest.

“So whatever magic makes this thing tick is different for each person. That’s not that weird,” Pigsy said.

“That’s not what’s weird,” Tang sighed, “What’s weird is I can’t find any clues as to how it works on the compass itself. Most of these ancient civilizations would leave behind instruction manuals for these things, or at least a riddle or something. But there’s nothing on the compass, not even an engraving.”

“You think there was something on the box the kid lost, don’t you?” Pigsy asked.

“Probably, but I doubt we’ll ever see it again,” Tang said.

“Hey, maybe your research in that fancy library will turn up something,” Pigsy said.

“True, but it will be hard to tell if my information is correct without access to some sort of hint. There’s more then one magic compass out there, you know?” Tang said.

“I…didn’t but I guess that makes sense,” Pigsy said.

Any further conversation was interrupted as the sound of pounding footsteps came from the gangplank. Mei burst onto the deck, panting and with sweat pouring off of her brow.

“Woah, kid, what’s going on?” Pigsy asked.

“Are you alright?” Tang asked, “Where’s MK?”

“He didn’t get arrested already?” Sun asked as he noticed the situation and wandered over.

“What?” Mei panted, “No he wasn’t arrested.”

“Oh, that’s good,” Suns said, his expression turning bored.

“He was taken!” Mei shouted.

“That’s more like it!” Sun said.

“Sun!” Pigsy scolded, “What do you mean taken?”

“He was crossing the street and this carriage came out of nowhere! He was almost run over!” Mei yelled.

“Was he hurt?” Pigsy asked.

“No, he dove out of the way. But his guy got out of the carriage, acting all concerned. He asked MK to go to his house so he could get a doctor to check on him and he just went with him!” Mei yelled.

“Well, that doesn’t sound to concerning,” Sun said, “I’m sure MK will meet up with us later.”

“It is concerning!” Mei yelled, “The carriage guy was that red haired navy brat!”

The ship went silent for a moment as each of them processed what Mei had just revealed.

“You should have led with that,” Sun said, “still that doesn’t mean MK is in any danger. Red Son has never seen MK outside of the Monkey King costume. He probably has no idea who he is.”

“True, but, um, how do I put this…MK hasn’t always shown the best judgement around Red Son,” Tang said, “Perhaps a few of us should go pick him up? After all, there’s nothing suspicious about a few concerned crew mates.”

“You have a point,” Sun said, “Fine you and I will go. Just to be nearby in case something does happen.”


End file.
